Fullmetal Alchemist: Revised Version
by C.M. Kearney
Summary: They're on the road towards recovery. And they won't stop till they reach the top. But they can never stay as just friends forever. A completely altered story of FMA. EDWIN
1. The Two Alchemists

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N: **The roles are switched, just so you know. But I won't spoil anything. –sigh- And I apologize to those who've been reading Sparrow's Longing. As you can see, I deleted that because I, well, suck. I'll never post a story like that again until I know I have a good plot. Heh. Sorry, sorry.

I believe this is a novelization of the manga, only in a different version.

**Interlude**

_In some ways, rain was simply rain. But there was always something lingering in the air afterwards that not everyone could understand. During springtime, they say it was the refreshing aftereffect of the rain. Poets and philosophers alike tell as if it was a reawakening of the world after a storm came to pass. But only a chosen few view the tranquility, in traces of dewdrops, as a sort of "fair trade" after the angry sky and the passing of dark, foreboding clouds. In a world where such a principle exists to serve and maintain the balance of nature, it was believed so. Those believers were the chosen few, and they stand with one identity in the world._

_Alchemists._

_People in control of the environment, of nature, of all existing elements. They had the power to shape the world according to their heart's desire. They mean to exist to serve for the people, so they say. Alchemists, the closest mortals to God himself. Yet…so far from perfectly capable of performing the greatest of miracles: creating a human being._

_So what of equivalent exchange, as the basis of all the elements that moved above and beneath the soil, taking place…_

"Granny…Al…"

_...within the countryside…_

"…please…"

…_on a cold, rainy night…_

"We…we need help…"

…_in a small house…_

"And…and…"

…_with two young teenagers…_

"…Ed…please…"

…_committing one of the greatest crimes known to man…?_

"Granny! Al! Please...! Help Ed!"

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 1: The Two Alchemists**

"Children of God who live on this Earth," the radio buzzed overhead, "have faith, and thou shalt be saved. The god of the sun, Leto, enlightens thy path. Behold, having descended from his throne, the lord shall save thee from thy sins.

"As a messenger of the sun god, I am your father."

The last spoken words hung over the head of one listener, and a pair of ears perked up with curious blue eyes turned to the ceiling.

"…A radio broadcast of a sermon?" she wondered out loud.

Beside her, another observant, her companion, frowned slightly with a fork still halfway into his mouth. "A messenger of God…? What's with that?"

"I should be the one saying that about you two." The bar owner remarked, a confused yet somewhat suspicious look on his face. "What are you kids, street performers?"

A pregnant pause.

"Okay, Pops." the second blew out with fixed, sharp gold eyes. "What part of us looks like street performers?"

The owner shrugged his shoulders. "I keep looking, but that's all you could be…"

"Is there something about what we're wearing that would make you think that?" the girl asked, looking down at herself. All she had on was a black jacket over a white sleeveless tank top, complete with a matching black miniskirt and boots. Next to her, the boy was clad in probably, _much_ thicker clothing than she did. Black pants, shirt, jacket, combat boots, gloves, and yet, another red coat over all that. Sometimes it made her wonder how he could move around in the heat like it was nothing.

"Eh…I just don't see people with faces like yours around these parts often." was the man's reply. "You kids tourists?"

"Yeah, we're just looking for something." the boy answered simply. "Anyway, what's with this broadcast?"

"Wha? You haven't heard of Lord Cornello?"

The pair gave the man different reactions: the girl sat up straight blinking curiously, while the boy sunk low into his seat and rested his chin on the counter, fork still between his teeth, wearing an okay-now-what's-with-that look on his face.

"…Who?" they both said simultaneously.

Now it was the man's turn to give them a look of his own. "Founder Cornello! Messenger of Leto, the sun god!"

"The founder of Letoism who possesses the power of miracles!" a customer beside them on the counter spoke up. "It's incredible!"

"He definitely possesses God's power!" exclaimed another.

The girl tilted her head, her long, flaxen hair following the angle. "A messenger of God…hmm…"

Her friend on the other hand, was already leaning the other way, pretending not to hear them babble. It didn't go unnoticed by the bar owner, and he bristled. "You ain't listening, kid."

The boy rolled his eyes to the side. "Nope. I'm not interested in religion."

Through with the conversation, he heaved himself to his feet and stood up. And anyone looking his way might have seen that he was…less…taller than how he looked. "Well, I'm stuffed. Hey Winry." he nodded his head to the girl. "Let's get out of here."

"Uh, yeah." the girl Winry answered as she made to get up too. But in the process, accidentally knocked over the radio next to her with her arm. It fell to the ground with a crashing noise, and the broadcast died out.

"Ahhhhh!" she cried out. "I'm sorry!"

"Aaack! Hey!" the bar owner was bristling again. "Don't cause any problems here! Why don't you watch it, girl?"

Winry was about to apologize again, but then her friend spoke up for her. "Sorry, sorry. We'll fix it right up."

The man grumbled to himself. "Hmph. What is with kids and…"

The boy held up a hand in an easing gesture, a sympathetic grin on his face. "Pops, Winry's a bit dizzy in the heat, so go easy on her."

_Shit. If it wasn't for the climate here…_ he thought silently, knowing Winry.

She kept her silence at the boy's words and knelt next to the broken contraption. She _was_ clumsy in a hot place like this. And maybe for a good reason.

_This body has its flaws afterall…_

Sighing to himself, the bar owner scratched his head. "So how you kids gonna fix this…?"

Instead of answering, the boy glanced in his direction and just grinned like a know-it-all.

Meanwhile, Winry was already tracing a circle around the radio's pieces with a piece of chalk she had with her. Then she drew a few more figures within the circle; figures that baffled the onlookers. Putting the last finishing touches, she sat back and smiled. "Okay, here I go!"

Placing both hands on the circle, she ignited it. Energy waves sparked and lit up the circle around the radio, enveloping it in the brilliant light. It all lasted for several seconds, and everyone shielding their eyes turned as the light died out. All eyes, except for both teenagers, popped out of their sockets to see the radio sitting pretty on the ground, looking as good as new.

"Thou who accepts God's words…" it buzzed.

"So how's this, Pops?" the boy pointed to it.

The bar owner's mouth was moving, but no sound came out.

"Good job, Winry."

"Hehe." she laughed, feeling a little modest right now.

"…Hey! Who exactly are you kids?" a man finally managed.

"We're alchemists." Winry answered, smiling cheerfully.

"Just call us—well—just call _me_ Edward Elric. This is my friend Winry Edgestone. An alchemist like me."

There was an outburst all at once among the growing crowd.

"Edward Elric? _The_ Edward Elric?"

"I've heard of you before!"

"You're a National Alchemist, aren't you?"

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric!"

The celebrity crossed his arms, loving the attention. Until…

"The Fullmetal Alchemist…" a man mused lightly. "I had no idea he was a shorty."

Into one ear _that_ one went and got trapped by the other sending it ricocheting in his brain, and it registered and bounced all over the place till gravity grabbed it and let it flop like a fish on dry land. Before becoming incinerated.

"WHO'S THE SUPER SMALL SPECK?" he roared, sending almost anything within his reach flying all over the place like an angry bull in a red coat and boots with gold braided hair, and an antenna.

"Uwaaaah! We didn't say that much!" whoever had the chance to yell that out got a jar of meat sauce colliding with his forehead, sending him sprawling on the ground at the mercy of their charging assailant.

"Ed, wait!" Winry cried out in protest. "Um, everyone, please. He doesn't take to comments about his height that lightly. You have to excuse him…"

"…R-right…"

Luckily, the storm died down when a woman with long brown hair made her way over. "Hello! It's a little lively today."

"Oh, hello Rose." The bar owner greeted, relieved his stash of pixie sticks under the counter wasn't caught in the frenzy. Ed was left to stand at the side steaming next to a perplexed Winry. "Going to the church again?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, I need to make some offerings." then she noticed the two teenagers, and greeted, "Oh, I don't believe we've met before."

"They said they're alchemists looking for something."

"Hi. My name's Winry. And this is Ed." Winry greeted while her companion, finding a chance to calm down, picked up the radio to put it back on the counter.

"Nice to meet you. I hope you find what you're looking for!" the older woman lilted. "May Leto protect you!"

As Rose took her leave, the bar owner rubbed his head. "Rose has become a lot more energetic, don't you think?"

A man near him nodded in agreement. "Yeah. It's all thanks to the founder."

"Huh?" Ed raised a brow at them.

"Rose ain't got no relatives, and on top of that, her boyfriend died in an accident recently…" the bar owner answered for him.

"Yeah, you'd think she'd be depressed, but she didn't look so down for some reason."

"What saved her were the teachings of Cornello, the messenger of the sun god Leto."

"He who gives everlasting life to the living and rebirth to the dead." the man grinned. "The power of miracles proves that."

"You kids should take a look too! That's definitely the power of God!"

Winry smiled, nodding. "Yeah, we'll try."

Ed, on the other hand, had other plans. _"Rebirth to the dead", huh…? Something smells fishy…_

"Have faith!" the radio continued to buzz. "Thy wishes shall be answered. All children have the blessing of the light…"

And with that, the sermon ended with a click of the switch. Behind the microphone, a bald man sat back and closed his book.

"Wonderful job, founder." a disciple said to him.

"Founder, we are grateful for your precious words today as well." praised another.

"Founder!"

He turned and smiled at the newcomer. "Ah, Rose. As good as always, wonderful job."

"Oh no, it's only the usual." she replied sweetly. Then her voice took on a much, quieter tone, and she clasped her hands together. "And…when that time comes…someday…"

The founder's smile grew wider. "I understand quite well what you're trying to say. Afterall, God has been observing your good conduct."

This made Rose's eyes light up, and she suddenly looked eager. "Then…!"

Lord Cornello cut her off with his hands on her shoulders. "But Rose, it is not yet the time for that. Do you understand? Do you?"

Rose inhaled deeply, trying to quell her anxiety, as she was used to be doing. "That's…that's right…not now…"

He smiled proudly, baring his teeth. "Good. You're a good child, Rose."

**-sss-**

Rose left the room and entered the church, and she was surprised to see two familiar faces sitting on one of the pews. "Oh? Didn't I meet you earlier…?"

The girl Winry stood up, Edward following suit.

"Hi again." Winry greeted.

"Do you two want to learn about Letoism?" Rose asked them.

"Sorry, but I'm an atheist." Ed answered, eyes scanning the interior of the church.

"That's not good!" Rose placed a hand over her heart with an air of overwhelming bliss. "By believing in God, you'll live with daily gratitude and hope…isn't that wonderful?

"And!" her voice raised an octave, now even more persistent and demanding. "If you have faith, you'll definitely get _bigger_!"

Ed's brow twitched and he ground out, "Why you little-!"

"Ed, she didn't mean it like that…!" Winry insisted hastily(at least she hoped Rose didn't), bracing in case she had to restrain him.

She didn't need to, luckily. He flopped back onto the pew and crossed his legs. "…Jeez. How can you believe in something like that? Pray to God and the dead will come back, huh?"

Rose was silent, but she held firmly to her belief, assuring herself what she was doing and thinking was only right. "Yes. Without a doubt, it will happen."

As predicted.

Winry's eyelids dropped a little in concern and looked to Ed, whether for help or out of worry for him launching into a debate that she knew would wander slightly off the topic, she didn't know. Then he made a move to reach for something in his coat, and relaxed a little as she watched him flip the pages of his notebook.

Rose watched this with curiosity. And it died once Ed opened his mouth to speak. Because nothing he said after that made any sense to her at all.

"35 liters of water," he read off the pages, "25 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorus, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of saltpeter, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon, and a bit of 15 other elements…"

"…Huh…?" Rose stammered, obviously not processing it.

Ed went on as if uninterrupted. "These would be the calculated components that make up the body of a single adult. We already know that much with modern science, but the reality is that no successful human transmutation has ever been reported.

"Something's still missing…for hundreds of years, scientists have been researching and researching, but they still haven't been able to grasp it." he shut his notes closed. "So, you could say it's a wasted effort, but I think it's a lot more useful than just praying and waiting.

"Oh yeah." he added as an afterthought. "The ingredients for these parts? You can pick up all that at a marketplace even with a kid's pocket money. It's really cheap to make a human being."

Hearing such words coming from Ed angered Rose. "A person isn't a thing! You're being disrespectful to the creator! You'll receive Heaven's wrath!"

Off to the side, Winry's hand went up to her arm and held it there. It didn't go unnoticed by Ed, who replied, "Alchemists are scientists, so we can't believe in vague things like the 'Creator' and 'God'. We explain the fundamentals of the creation of everything in the world and pursue the truth.

"It's ironic, you know." he almost laughed. "As scientists who don't believe in God, we're the ones who are closest to God."

Rose was almost silenced by Ed's words. Everything he was saying brought him further from the divinity of God and closer to the pit of Hell. His blasphemy was too much for her. But she still wanted to say something. Anything to make him change his mind about her religion and save him from punishment.

"That's arrogant." she managed at last. "You think of yourself as God's equal?"

This time, both Ed and Winry lifted their heads to her. Winry stayed quiet, but there was something in her eyes that bothered Rose. Ed, on the other hand, had saved the best for last for the older woman, and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth. "You know, I've heard of this legend before. Once, there was a hero who flew too close to the sun. His wings of wax fell apart, and he plummeted to the earth."

Rose stared at him, wondering what that meant. But he fell silent after that. Both of them.

**-sss-**

Lord Cornello stood and waved to the cheering crowd, and they watched excitedly when he took a flower in his hand. They watched as the transformation took place between his palms, then he raised them to reveal a big sunflower head now resting in his hands. It brought more cheers from the people, unable to deny the sight they'd just witnessed.

There were only two people among them who weren't so enthusiastic about the founder's accomplishment.

"Ed, what do you think?" both he and Winry were standing on each other's suitcases to look over the hundreds of heads in the assembly.

"That transformation reaction was normal alchemy, right?" she asked again.

"Yep." he answered. "But you know the law, Winry…"

"So the two of you came."

Both teenagers turned to see Rose, who grinned.

"How is it? No doubt about it. This is the power of miracles. Afterall, Lord Cornello is the son of the sun god."

Winry opened her mouth to say, "I think we like to confirm what we see first, Miss Rose." As she'd meant to say it in the softest way possible so that the woman wouldn't get upset again.

But Ed beat her to it. "Nope, definitely alchemy. Cornello's a fake."

So much for cushioning the blow.

Mildly agitated by Ed's bluntness, Winry decided to leave it and said, "But that's against the law, right Ed?"

"Hmm…that's right."

"Law?" Rose blinked.

"From an average person's viewpoint, alchemy is a very handy skill that can make anything, without any limit. But the truth is that there's a rule to this. To put it roughly, there's the law of the conservation of mass and the law of providence. Among us practitioners, there are people who use the four elements and the three principles, but…"

Then they saw Rose looking all the more alienated, so Winry took over laughing. "Ok. Rose, it's taking an object with one element, and changing it into an object containing the same element. For example, an object with the properties of water can only be transmuted into an object with watery attributes."

"In short," Ed picked up from there, "the basis of alchemy is 'equivalent exchange'! By creating something, another object of the same value is needed for the transmutation.

But, Cornello ignored that law and was able to transmute."

Rose had had enough. "Make some sense! Do you two believe in the power of miracles or not!"

Winry's eyes widened and she dropped her voice to a whisper. "Ed, could that be…?"

"…Yeah. Maybe it is."

Their eyes were fixed on the ring that the founder wore in his left hand. And Ed's gold eyes took on a fire, fresh determination etched in his features. "Bingo…

"Miss!" he turned to Rose with eagerness. "We're interested in this religion! I want to talk to this founder, so could you give us some information?"

Winry wouldn't have bought that act at all. Edward can look so excited yet not so excited sometimes. She could tell the difference anyway. She was the only who could. Living with Ed for 10 years made her used to him. Same on his side with her, maybe.

So seeing Rose's happiness pique at Ed's "newly-opened" eyes, she sat back and waited for whatever mischief they were about to get into. Not like she wasn't looking forward to it. As naughty as it was, she was determined to travel the road of recovery, even if it meant dirtying her hands a little.

**-sss-**

"Founder, there's someone requesting an interview." a disciple informed from the doorway. "A boy and a girl. The boy's name is Edward Elric, and the girl Winry Edgestone."

Cornello sat giving the man a perplexed look. "What? I'm busy. Tell them to go home."

Then something registered in his head, and he stopped the disciple. "Wait, did you say Edward Elric?"

The man frowned. "Yes, I'm sure that was the name of the boy…do you know him?"

But Cornello wasn't listening anymore. "Oooh, this isn't good…" he muttered under his breath. "He's the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

The disciple panicked. "Wha…! You mean that bratty punk? You're kidding, right founder?"

"Idiot!" the bald man scolded. "Age is irrelevant to being an alchemist! I've heard six months ago, he obtained the license for National Alchemists, but…" he paused. "I see. He really is that rumored brat."

"Why is a National Alchemist here?" the disciple demanded. "Do you think he knows our plan?"

"It seems that the dogs of the military have excellent noses." Cornello mumbled.

"You want me to send him away?"

"No." he answered quickly. "Doing that would be too suspicious. He might return if we turn him away."

Cornello thought briefly on the matter, before he turned to his disciple with a smirk. "…They never came here. How does that sound?"

The man was quick to the hint, and copied the founder's smile. "As long as God is satisfied…"

**-sss-**

"Please enter."

Ed, Winry, and Rose went into the room after the man who welcomed them. "The founder is usually a very busy person, so he doesn't have much free time on his hands. But you two are quite fortunate."

"Sorry, I don't plan on talking to him for too long." said Ed. Behind him, the double doors swung shut.

A menacing grin formed on the man's face, and a hand reached into his coat. "Yes. We'll end this quite soon. Just like…"

He lunged for Winry and pointed the gun at her stomach. "_THIS!_"

She didn't have the time to scream. One shot sent her flying across the room, her body coming to a rest some feet away. She lay face down, sprawled out on the carpet.

Where Winry didn't scream, Rose did it for her.

Ed whirled on the man, an unreadable expression on his face. But before he had a chance to react, he was held back by two poles squaring against his shoulders by two other disciples behind him.

"Brother!" Rose exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this!"

Her brother, Cornello's favorite disciple, turned his gun in Ed's direction. "Rose, these two are heretics that were going to trick the founder. They're demons!"

"No! If that's why, the founder surely wouldn't have allowed th-"

"The founder allowed this!" Rose's brother cut her off. "The words of the founder are the words of God…and this is the will of God!"

He cocked the gun towards Ed, who stood there glaring silently.

"…That's horrible." voiced someone behind him.

He didn't get the chance to pull the trigger, when a hand clapped over the barrel of the gun he held. Rose's brother gawked. "Wha!"

"That's a really mean god!" Winry pried the gun from the man's slackened grip. Where she'd been shot, a small hole lay gaping open in her shirt. And there were no traces of blood.

Before anyone else could react, Ed grabbed the collar of the man behind him, and flipped him over his shoulder. Winry struck Rose's brother in the face with the gun handle, knocking a tooth out in the process. The second man holding Ed back panicked and tried to make a getaway, but a heavy boot collided with the back of his head before he even made it to the door.

"Strike!" Ed whooped with a wicked grin on his face.

"Ed, I've been shot!" Winry whined, worrying over the damage done to her shirt more than the bullet hole in her stomach. He didn't know whether to scold her or punch her.

_Women…_

"Get over it, Winry! I'll fix it later!" Ed snapped. "You should be glad I didn't make you a machine. Machines run on fluids, and if you leaked, your body would fail on you."

"What is that!" Rose yelled, stressed to the point she thought she was becoming deluded. "What's going on!"

She was pointing at Winry's mishap like it was something she'd never believe existed even with her own eyes on it.

"She's always like this, Rose." Ed patted Winry's shoulder. "You should see her fall from a 5-story building."

"Th-there…sh-she's…!" she still stammered.

Winry, deciding on forgetting about her shirt for now, turned to Rose with an uneasy smile. "Rose, this is someone who's guilty for trying to be like God. Ed and I…we're that."

Rose stared at her briefly before turning her gaze on Winry's companion, his back turned. "Edward…you too?"

"By 'you too' you mean I could be a walking animated doll like Winry, then my answer's no."

"…Then—"

"Okay, let's stop this topic." Ed turned on his heel to look at Rose squarely. "More importantly, you saw God's true nature, didn't you?"

She shook her head violently from side to side. "No! There has to be some mistake!"

Ed fumed silently. _Geez…the lady's already seen this much, and she still puts her faith in that no-good fraud…_

He rolled his shoulders and strode to the double doors, Winry trailing after him. "Rose, do you have the guts to see the truth?"

**-sss-**

"So this is the founder's room that Rose told us about?"

Both teenagers stood outside the doors, betting on the prospect of what was waiting for them in the room.

Ed shrugged. "Oh well…Winry. Are you coming with me?"

She gave him a why-now-do-you-say-that look, but she smiled all the same.

Then the doors swung open slowly before he could reach for the handle. Perhaps on instinct, Winry reached for Ed's sleeve as they stepped into the dark room.

"Hmm…you're supposed to welcome us." Ed smirked.

They made it to the center of the room, then to no one's surprise, the doors slammed shut. And a voice greeted them.

"Welcome to our holy church."

Lord Cornello appeared on the staircase, looking quite friendly. "Did you come to learn our teachings?"

Ed grinned. "Yeah, I want you to tell us a bunch. Like this rule about tricking your believers with cheap alchemy!"

"Hrm. I wonder what you might be speaking of…" the founder replied. "Grouping my 'power of miracles' with alchemy would pose a small problem. If you saw it once, you would understand…"

"I've already seen it." Ed stated. "But the thing I don't get at all is the thing about how you were able to transmute something while ignoring the laws."

"That's why I said it wasn't alchemy." Cornello said simply, a finger tapping his head.

"I thought so." Ed had him. "The 'Philosopher's Stone'. That's what you're using, aren't you?"

Cornello held his smile.

"It's that ring…right?" Ed pressed.

The silence hung in the air for 5 seconds before the founder decided to speak. "I expected no less from a National Alchemist. You are correct." he perused his left hand, where the ring was located. "This is a mysterious power amplifier that was said to be found only in legends. If we alchemists use this, we can perform tasks of great magnitude with little cost!"

"…I've been looking for that, old man!" Ed informed him, a manic gleam in his eyes.

"Hmph! Why do you look like you want it? What would you wish for by using this stone? Money? Fame?"

"You're no different." Ed retorted smoothly. "You've made a religion through fraudulence. What do _you_ want? If it's money, you can use that stone to get as much as you'd want."

"It isn't money." Cornello denied. "No, I want money. But even if I remain silent, it will enter my wallet in the form of donations from my believers, you see." he put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "On the other hand, I need obedient believers who would be happy to throw away their lives for me. It's wonderful!" he sounded amused now. Wickedly amused. "The greatest army in the world! One which doesn't fear death!

"I've steadily advanced my preparations! Behold! After several years, this country will be mine! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"

"Nope, don't care."

The founder nearly had a seizure at Ed's casualness.

"DON'T JUST SAY A COUPLE OF CARELESS WORDS ABOUT MY PLANS!" he spat. "You…aren't you from one of the surrounding countries…no, in the army!"

"Nah, I guess you could say that." Ed replied off-handedly. "The military and the nation, don't have much of a clue about stuff like that.

"But I'll get straight to the point." the alchemist jabbed a finger in the founder's direction. "Gimme the Philosopher's Stone! Do that and I won't use your fraudulence as blackmail."

"Ha! You're trying to bargain with me!" Cornello scorned. "My followers will never believe a word from the likes of you! I am loved by them! They're my faithful servants! No matter how many times you yell, they'll never listen! That's right! Because these foolish believers have been fooled by me!"

His laughter echoed throughout the room. Neither of the two spoke as they watched the scene unfold. Then Ed lifted his gloved hands, and clapped.

"Well, I didn't expect any less of the founder. Thank you for letting us hear such a splendid speech. True. Maybe your followers won't listen to anything we'll tell them. But…" he pointed into the darkness. "How about the stuff _she'd_ say?"

On queue, Rose stepped out of the shadows, trembling from head to foot. Unable to believe what she'd just heard and seen.

"ROSE!" Cornello exclaimed.

"Founder! Is what you just said true!" she cried, stumbling forward. "Have you tricked us? The power of miracles, God's power…you weren't going to grant my wish, were you?

"YOU WEREN'T GOING TO BRING HIM BACK!" she yelled, the touch of betrayal stinging her.

The founder looked taken aback at first, but he recovered with a simpering grin as he came up with an idea. "Hm…perhaps being a messenger of God was a lie. But with this stone, as well as the transmutations of living organisms that countless alchemists have failed at, there is the possibility that your lover can be resurrected!"

The woman was dumbfounded, and she fell silent.

"No, Rose!" Winry spoke at last, reaching out for her. "Don't listen!"

"Be a good child and come here." Cornello beckoned.

Ed threw her a look over his shoulder. "If you go, you won't be able to come back!"

"What's wrong? You are one of us."

"Rose!" Winry warned.

"Am I not the only one who can grant your wish?" Cornello was persistent. "Remember your beloved! Well?"

Without hesitation, she made her way over to the founder. Winry stood watching after her with a disbelieving look on her face. Ed turned away as he sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sorry you two." Rose stammered and she looked back. "But this…this is the only chance I have to rely on."

"Good child…really…" Cornello crooned. "Now, I will have to purge these heretics that threaten the future of my religion with haste."

He reached for a toggle switch on the wall and pulled. Instantly, a creature slunk into the room, its serpentine tail flicking back and forth. Its leonine head appeared from out of the shadows and leered at the two teenagers. Winry's hand went up to grip Ed's coat sleeve again as his eyes narrowed at the thing.

"The Philosopher's Stone is truly something impressive. It can make things like this. Is this the first time you've seen a chimera?" Cornello was taking note of Winry's reaction rather than just taunting them. "Hm?"

The beast circled the pair, its sharp claws making clicking noises at every step. It fixed them with a hungry stare.

Sighing, Ed brushed Winry's hand off and clapped his hands together. "Well, it's a little hard to fight without a weapon, so…Winry, stand back."

He dropped to the ground and pressed his palms onto the cement floor. The founder stared at this. Then, to his surprise, sparks flew as an alchemical reaction took place where Ed stood. As they watched, a stone handle slowly rose from the ground, followed by the sharp end of a spear.

"Why you!" Cornello sputtered. "To transmute a weapon from the pavement without an alchemy circle…I see that National Alchemist isn't just a fancy name!

"But that won't be enough!"

On his word, the chimera lunged. Ed brought up the spear on reflex, but the creature swiped once and the weapon was severed into 3 pieces. At the same time, its claws managed to rip into Ed's left leg, and he grunted.

"Ed!" Winry made a dash for him, then stopped at the chimera's movements from across the room.

"Hahaha!" Cornello jeered. "How was that? How do claws that can cut through iron feel?"

"EDWARD!" Rose screamed.

"…Heh. What was that?"

There was a 'ping', as two of the chimera's claws fell off. Then it was sent back by a kick from Edward.

"Sorry, but it's made a bit special." he grinned.

"What happened!" the founder demanded. "If the claws don't work, bite him!"

The chimera charged and crunched down on the alchemist's right arm. It growled low in its throat as it chomped…before the sound melted into becoming more questioning rather than threatening. Then realization sunk in: the chimera wasn't chewing on flesh.

"What's wrong, you stupid cat?" it was Ed's turn to growl. "Get a real good taste."

He lashed out with a high-kick and sent the beast flying.

"Rose! Take a good look!"

He raised his right arm to reveal metal plates and wires. "These are the bodies of sinners that have breached God's domain!"

Cornello watched as Ed ripped off his torn coat. "…Artificial limbs of steel. 'Automail'." And a newfound understanding swept over him. "Ah, I see now…

"The Fullmetal Alchemist!" he declared as Ed threw his coat off to the side, revealing metal running from his right shoulder down to his fingers. A sight to behold, and Winry watched as he made his way forward for a fight.

"Come and get some, you third-rate!" he challenged. "I'll show you what makes us both so different!"

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. The Price of a Life

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N: **The roles are switched, just so you know.

I believe this is a novelization of the manga, only in a different version.

**Interlude**

"…I see. I see." the founder nodded his head in understanding. "It was quite a mystery as to why a brat was called 'Fullmetal', but…"

He smirked. "So this is why…Rose, these two have done something absolutely forbidden to alchemists: they have performed human transmutation.

"THEY'VE COMMITTED THE GREATEST CRIME!"

Ed cast aside his coat, revealing the price of his past deed. A metal arm and leg attached in place of the limbs he'd lost one year ago.

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 2: The Price of a Life**

_Right now what can you see?  
__What can you hear?  
__They'll open them again today,  
__The Gates of Heaven_

_Who are you talking to?  
__What are you afraid of?  
__It won't stop anymore,  
__It can't be stopped,  
__The epilogue to despair_

"_Once, there was a hero who flew too close to the sun. His wings of wax fell apart, and he plummeted to the earth."_

**-sss-**

"Winry! Winry!"

The girl, much younger-looking, looked up from the book she was studying while perched on the stepladder. "What is it, Ed?"

He laid out the chart before him on the table, an excited expression on his face. "This is it! It'll work with this theory!"

She rushed to his side, surprised. "Huh? You mean…!"

"Yeah! We can bring Mom back!"

_We were positive that we could create life._

_She was kind…a very kind mother. Even to me, who wasn't even blood-related._

_I only agreed to help Ed bring his mother back because she filled the void in my heart where my parents were supposed to be._

_My parents…who left me in their care to go treat patients during the civil war…and never came back._

_We were like children. In our age, we should've known better. But we didn't care._

_A mother's smile was all we were ever hoping for._

_Even though human transmutation was forbidden, we learned alchemy just to be able to do that one thing…_

…_But the transmutation…was a failure._

_Ed lost his left leg in the process. I lost my entire body…then, I lost consciousness._

_When I opened my eyes again, I saw this body…a body that didn't feel like mine at all, nor real…_

…_and amidst a sea of blood…_

"Heh…Winry, I'm sorry. I could only transmute your soul with my right arm." a bleeding Ed said softly.

"Why did you do this!" Winry wanted to sound angry. She knew she should sound angry. Throttle him for being so stupidly reckless. But she couldn't deny what her best friend had just done, and she felt more guilty than furious. Ed did something she wouldn't have if she were in his shoes. And up till that day, she never forgot…

Which was why she vowed to stick by him and support him…no matter what…

**-sss-**

"While Ed was suffering from the loss of his left leg…" Winry was saying in the present. "He traded his right arm to transmute my soul into this body."

She wrapped a hand around her other elbow and glanced at the ground with a detached face. "In this body, I can't feel anything. I don't even need to breathe. And Ed relies on automail to keep him standing."

"Hm…" Ed hung his head, smiling in spite of the situation. "This is what happens when two people try to resurrect a single human being. This is what resurrecting a person means, Rose."

The woman shook, looking on with horror at the scene.

"YOU GOT THE GUTS TO DO IT? DO YOU?" Ed demanded, making her cringe.

"Hahaha…" Cornello jeered leaning on the bannister. "Edward Elric! And then you joined the army to become a National Alchemist! Don't make me laugh!"

"Shut up!" Ed snapped. "Without that stone, you can't do anything, you ultra third-rate!"

"I see, I see. And so, you want the Philosopher's stone? If you use this, your human transmutation would probably succeed, right?"

"Don't get me wrong, baldy! We just want that stone to restore our original bodies. What I want the most is to be like I was before."

"Mr. Founder, we'll say it again." Winry held a hand out, trying to keep her voice steady as she fought back her nervousness. "Give us the stone, while you're still not hurt."

Cornello thought otherwise. "Hehe…you stupid children who came too close to God and fell to the earth…" he took the iron cane in his hand and transmuted it. "This time I will have to send you to God myself!"

The cane became a machinegun, and without hesitation, the founder fired at the two teenagers, laughing hysterically. A cloud of dust formed around the pair and Rose herself, shielding them completely from his eyes. Ceasing fire, he waited for the dust to clear, and he gaped at what he saw. "What!"

"Nope, God hates us." Ed cracked with a grin, a wall recently conjured from beneath their feet standing to protect them from the gunfire. "Even if we go, he'll send us back!"

Cornello grit his teeth in annoyance. "Tch!"

Where Rose was still hidden in the dust cloud, Winry rushed forward and grabbed her arm. The founder spotted the movement and aimed the gun right at Winry, who yelped and sprinted off with Rose in tow.

"Shit! Winry!" Ed clapped his hands together and struck the ground with both palms, concentrating the alchemical energy towards the two women, and formed a curving barrier over their heads while they tried to make a quick getaway. The bullets penetrated the structure, but the two stayed safe.

"Winry!" Ed jabbed a thumb in the direction of the exit. "We're getting out of here!"

"Fools!" The founder scorned. "That exit won't open unless I command it to from here!" at those words, the double doors vanished instantly.

Ed smirked and clapped his hands. "Oh, really?"

He slapped the wall and produced a new set of doors.

"WHAAAT!"

"If there ain't an exit, I'll make one!" Ed pushed the door open with his shoulder, and led Winry and company out, surprising two or more of Cornello's followers as they ran into the hallway and escaped.

"What are you doing!" Cornello appeared at the doorway, furious at being ridiculed by Ed. "Those are heretics that are trying to tarnish our religion! Capture them immediately!"

**-sss-**

"Over here!" one of them yelled as the trio approached. "Stop!"

The three came to halt when the group of men barricaded the hallway. All of them had sticks for weapons.

"Hey kids," one drawled, "gonna fight unarmed with the lot of us?"

"Before you get hurt, just calm down and give—"

Ed, seeing a wide opportunity to show off, clapped his hands together with wicked glee. Everyone en masse went, "Huh?" as Ed concentrated the energy onto his right arm.

…And the ultra-sharp, ass-kicking, menacing blade that appeared in its place spelt their doom.

"Hehehehe!" Ed cackled, tearing his way through the mass like they were chickens. Figuratively speaking in two ways.

Winry ducked when one of them flew over their heads. "Sometimes I can't believe I befriended a maniac like you, Ed!"

"Ahh quit ruining my fun!"

"Hey, that kid's tough!" the second group's leader yelled as the three of them came closer. "So don't hold back!"

"Out of the way, mister!" Ed stuck his left leg out and got the man squarely in the face, thus putting an end to the ambush.

"Ed, I think we're far from the exit." Winry decided to say as they continued to run along the hallway.

"Care to jump out the window?"

"Didn't I tell you that I'm never doing that _again_?"

"Wait!"

They skidded to a halt, Rose bumping into Winry.

"What's this room?" Ed poked his head through a set of open doors, taking vague note of the microphone on the desk.

"This is the broadcast room." Rose explained. "The high priest uses this radio for his sermons."

"Hohoho, really now?" Ed's mischievous snickers were as comforting as a dog foaming in the mouth.

"…Ed, please don't be so evil…" Winry sighed.

**-sss-**

On the rooftop, Winry and Rose were gathering materials to set up Ed's scheme, consisting of a small speaker, the cord attached to the microphone, and pieces of metal that Winry was now drawing a circle around. Rose looked her over. She found it so hard to believe that so much could be revealed in one day: Winry and her body, the founder's plot, Ed the Fullmetal Alchemist, his body…

"…I still can't believe what you were talking about earlier." she said quietly, hands clasped tightly to herself. "Unable to transmute without a sacrifice…"

Winry looked up from the drawing and turned to smile sadly at Rose. "It's like we said. The basis of alchemy is equal trade. If we want to do something, we have to give up something else. Ed's a natural-born genius, but he paid the cost through effort, so he's like this now."

She was about to resume her task when she stopped to say something else. "Rose, do you know what this body's made of?"

The older woman stayed silent.

"Clay, plaster, fibers…a bit of each. And an inner skeletal structure of metal to hold all that together. And my hair's from the dolls I played with as a little girl." she tapped the ground with her chalk. "These were the only materials available to Ed that time. Materials that we used to make small toys with for his Mom with alchemy. You know it's funny that so far, no one's ever noticed anything remotely close to calling 'plastic' or 'fake' about me. Ed really did a good job on my body. And that's for the better. I was told I'd be whisked away to one of those laboratories and become the subject for tests by several other scientists if my cover was blown. I know Ed wouldn't let that happen, but sometimes I can't help but think. Think 'what if'. And I'm always going to wonder why we went and did it."

"You mean…bringing his mother back…?"

Winry hung her head and nodded. "When that day came…that time when Ed's Mom died…we jointly decided to put our skills as alchemists to the test, and resurrect Ed's mother using alchemy. And as you know, it's more than illegal to conduct transmutation on a human being, let alone bring them back from the dead. But I guess we didn't care. We were only kids. Kids need parents. But…maybe that wasn't an excuse for our actions either, since we've done too much now to turn back from that."

"But…" Rose replied. "because you paid that sacrifice, Edward's mother had to have been…"

"…The body couldn't have been called human."

**-sss-**

_**A year ago…**_

Trembling, a younger Winry made her way over to the wounded Edward on her hands and knees. She wanted to cry then, seeing him for the way he was. But the body she now possessed didn't allow her the freedom to shed tears. And she held back whatever sound she made whenever she cried.

Struggling, she choked out his name. "Ed."

"Winry. You okay?" he grunted, pain apparent in his voice.

Why should he ask that? What about him? Was _he_?

Winry's hands…hands that couldn't feel…reached out to him, and held his shoulders as gently as possible, and her left hand became stained with blood yet she didn't care. Her fingers were still a bit stiff; her body had yet to adjust. If she wasn't careful, the coating would crack. This colorless body she now owned.

That was when she noticed that she was naked. The body had no clothes on. As a woman would with a man present, she almost recoiled. Then remembered that right now there was something more important than modesty.

Drab eyes fell on her friend and she suppressed the urge to sob. At least her face was slowly permitting her to express some sort of emotion. Right now, it was twisted in the sort of grief over the one thing they knew they'd never forget; a scar on their souls. And seeing her most precious friend drenched in blood was far from comforting.

"Ed…your mother…she's…"

He turned his eyes away from the sight and made a gagging noise. "Don't look at it, Winry!"

She felt so helpless, and she wanted to cry again as she grabbed a fistful of the long, blonde hair she was almost surprised to see was there. It was dry and coarse, like a doll's hair. It looked so real. But it wasn't.

"This…can't be happening, Ed!" she cried. "Your theory should have been perfect!"

There was a silence that followed, and then Ed quietly answered, "Yeah, the theory wasn't wrong…"

He held up the remaining arm, and stared at the fresh blood on it with a mixture of terror and understanding. "The ones who were wrong were…us…"

**-sss-**

Winry began once more on the circle, but she still had more to say. "We quit working with human transmutation, but Ed wants to return me to my own body. And…I want him to get his lost limbs back. But it's a risk to take…we might even pay for it and lose our lives. At first, Ed didn't want me to come, even though he knew we were both at fault. But it was my decision to make. This is the road we've chosen all on our own."

Putting the finishing touches on the alchemy circle, she stood up to look at the older woman in the eye. "Rose, that's why…you mustn't do as we did."

**-sss-**

Cornello trudged down the hallway and skidded to a halt at the doorway of the room. Inside, Ed was sitting cross-legged on the desk, looking quite the picture.

"You punk!" the founder snarled. "You can't get away anymore!"

Ed gave him a look of skepticism. "Oh, you've given up? Isn't the fact that you lied going to spread to the people soon?" He rested his chin in his metal palm.

"Silence! My underlings are still in the church, and there's no way you can break my control of the information to my stupid believers!"

The gold-haired alchemist sighed. "Oh well. I feel sorry for the people who believe in you then."

This brought mocking laughter from Cornello. "Those believers are just pawns for my wars! Pawns don't need pity! And, they'll be satisfied if they died, happily believing they're doing it for God!"

Strangely enough, a grin was beginning to crack on Ed's face, something that the founder failed to notice as he went on. "The difference between alchemy and the power of miracles is that I can mass produce believers and replenish my unending hordes of pawns! Did you really think you could stop me!" Cornello laughed wickedly. "Did you think you could stop my plans so easily!"

And the splitting grin was followed by Ed's own bout of laughter.

"…! What's so funny?" the founder demanded, confusion and irritation obvious on his face.

Ed slapped his right hand to his forehead. "Because you're third-rate, baldy!"

"You brat! You're still saying that!"

"Heyyy, mister," the boy genius sing-sang showing him a switch in "On" mode in his gloved left hand, "what's this?"

Cornello stared for a few seconds, and noticed the microphone that was at his feet.

And it registered.

"YOU D— YOU DIDN— YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

**-sss-**

Out on the rooftop, Winry was standing next to a giant speaker on three legs, the cord from the transmitter attached at the end. And every word the founder had just spoken went right to the speaker for the entire town to hear.

"Wow, it's a good thing I drew the set-up first." she said to Rose. "I always have to put it on paper before transmuting an object."

"Um, does Edward do that too?"

Winry shook her head. "Nope. He doesn't need to. Otherwise, he wouldn't have such a 'wicked' imagination."

"Huh?"

"If you saw his other 'masterpieces', you'd know what I mean."

**-sss-**

"WHEN? WHEN DID YOU PUSH THE SWITCH?"

"From the beginning, my lord." Ed never felt so smug.

The founder's knees buckled, and he began to sweat. "H-h-h-how could this…!" then the panic melted, and changed into utter fury. "…You brat…"

He transmuted the cane into a machinegun once more. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

But Ed was two steps ahead of him and he clapped. "TOO LATE!"

With one swipe, he sliced the gun in half, and sent the barrel rolling away. "Told you, didn't I? We're different."

"I…I won't give up…" Cornello growled. This was too much. There was no way he was going to let a brat like Ed have the last word alive. And so he transmuted the gun again. "As long as I have this stone, I can use the power of miracles as many—"

But something else happened. Rather than the gun becoming twice its original size, it melted and the pieces attached themselves to his arm and became _part_ of it. Bringing about a wave of agony from the founder.

"Gyaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Cornello fell clutching his mutated arm in utter pain. "My arm…! MY ARM!"

Ed stood, stunned at the occurrence. It took him a few seconds to regain his voice. "Wh—

"Why…how…?"

"Dahhhh, my aaaaaarm—!"

"SHUT UP!"

The founder, caught off guard completely by Ed's reaction, obeyed instantly.

"This is only a rebound, right!" the alchemist yelled furiously in his face. "Don't scream like a girl about one or two arms!"

The bald priest didn't reply, suddenly fearful of the boy clutching a fistful of his robes.

"The stone! Show me the Philosopher's stone!" Ed demanded.

"St—stone?"

Then there was a cracking noise, and the stone on the founder's ring shattered and fell to the floor. An uneasy silence followed after, only to be broken by Ed.

"It…broke…" he stared blankly, before rounding on the man before him and shaking him. "WHAT'S GOING ON? THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE IS SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT, SO WHY DID IT BREAK?"

"I…I don't know!" he was confused too. "I haven't heard about this before!"

Then it hit him. And Ed's heart nearly stopped. _A fake…?_

Meanwhile, the founder was now begging for mercy, but he wasn't listening anymore. Ed shook as he released Cornello and stood up. "I came all the way here…and I even thought I could restore myself…and it's a…fake…"

The bald one watched as Ed retreated some feet away, before dropping down, letting the drama unfold as his dreams of getting his limbs back and living a normal life again with some apple pie was shattered.

…_He's wide open! If that's how it is, I'll kill that punk with just this!_

Maneuvering the sharp pipe protruding from his backhand, Cornello inched his way to Ed, whose back was turned.

"…Hey, Pops."

It caught him off guard again. "Y-yes?"

Ed placed his left hand on the floor. "You've tricked the people in this town. You've tried to kill us."

"Eh…"

"But you made us waste all this time, and in the end, all I get is an 'oh, I'm sorry, the stone was a fake'?"

Every word Ed spoke fueled the energy as it coursed through the floor, through the walls, till the ceiling. As the waves surged, the room began to shift, and the floor near the founder's feet rose and layers upon layers of cement mounted to form a giant fist.

"Wah!"

It didn't stop there. The desk, bookcases and chairs toppled as a head followed the fist.

The head was followed by a face.

The face was followed by a body.

The body was followed by a gigantic hammer.

The hammer…completed the Titans action figure collection.

"STOP SCREWING AROUND!" its creator raged, bent on bonking/crushing some heads.

The behemoth, looking like a cross between Zeus and the Statue of Liberty(minus the toga), towered over the founder in all its titanic glory. Cornello fell to his knees, looking at a monster…or two of them.

Ed, quivering like Jell-O, brought down "divine" punishment on the fraud of a priest.

"EAT…GOD HAMMER!"

"MY GOD…!" was what Cornello managed to say before a rock-hard fist swung down for the ground towards him.

Next thing he knew, he was on his back, close to having a heart attack before passing out. And the fist no less than 2 feet away from him from where it struck the floor.

Ed stood motionless for the moment, before he took a deep breath and exhaled. Now that he got that out, his tension was released. Some movement in the doorway caught his attention, and he glanced sideways to see the two women standing. Gawking.

Or rather, Rose was gawking. Winry was already turning her eyes from the scene and leaning against the wall back in the hallway with her hands over her eyes.

"Has he ever done something like this before?" Rose directed the question at her, eyes still popping out of her sockets.

Dropping her hands, Winry stared ahead of her with wide eyes. "I've never_ seen_ him pull that one before."

Of all the things that Ed conjured from the ground, she never expected to feast her eyes on him summoning a god. Did she not know him _enough_?

All she knew was that after that display, she felt like…maybe she should take a walk down on the beach, skip some stones, watch the sunset, and maybe pick up a few shells and make a necklace. Whatever's…soothing right now…would help her very much.

"Hey. Winry?"

She quickly shot a glance at her friend in response, and he quirked a brow. "You okay?"

"…Are you?" there was an emphasis to her question.

He frowned. "I'm the one asking you that!"

She sighed and let the back of her head hit the wall with a light thump. "I'm fine…"

"Oh."

No one spoke for a while. Then…

"…I was really mad, you know."

"…Oh."

**-sss-**

"So the stone was a fake?"

Ed rubbed the back of his neck with exhaustion. "Yeah. And I finally thought I could restore you."

Winry sat next to him and offered a smile. "I'm more worried about you. Automail causes a lot of problems."

"Is your body still okay?" he looked her over, checking for any signs of cracking or peeling.

She nodded as an answer. "Yeah. Don't worry. So now what? We're back to where we started."

The alchemist stood, cracking his neck. "Can't do anything about it. We'll look somewhere else."

"No…"

They turned to Rose, who was now on her knees with a lost expression. "It has to be a lie…because…he said he could bring him back…"

"Rose…" Winry began, but she was cut off by Ed.

"Give it up already. It's useless."

But she still didn't understand. After all that she'd done, for the founder and for the church, after giving so much…

"…Why does it have to be like this…?" Rose sobbed. "What am I supposed to do now? How am I supposed to live now? Tell me! Please!"

Neither said a word at first. Winry didn't know how to word her thoughts to help the situation. Then Ed finally spoke for them both.

"Think about that on your own."

He walked past her, looking like a fighter coming out of a fierce battle. "Stand up and walk. Move on. After all, you have perfect legs to stand on."

And he strode off, Winry on his heels as they continued their journey.

**End of Chapter 2**

**A/N: **-giggle- Somewhere halfway, I was feeling humorous so I got comically analytical.

Yes. Winry _Edgestone_: Is a walking Barbie doll of clay and plaster, loves skimming stones by the beach, and yes, has a major, MAJOR fangirl crush on Edward the Bean Terminator. And I have the little heart designs around his name in her diary to prove it. Jk

Now you know Winry Edgestone. XDDDDDD

Yes I have my reasons to change her name. Mostly so that she DOESN'T relate to the Rockbells.

So can you guys guess now from which anime Winry's body concept came from?

Stay tuned for Chappie 3. I post daily, so no lines, no wait. Hehe. –sigh-

-goes back to _chewing_ on her Starbucks frapuccino-


	3. The Coal Mine Town

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

Btw, as much as I love EdxWin fluff till my teeth rot, I need to find time for that to develop halfway in the story. Nothing like developing it, right? So please have patience. XD

Another thing: I am SOOOOOOOO sorry for the late update. Why? One word: BLACK-OUT. For two STRAIGHT miserable days, I've been sitting by the window rereading books, and wondering if you guys'll ever miss me. Not like there are actually people missing me on the net. XD Most of them I see offline.

So kids? Please stop begging for a typhoon so to postpone classes. Be careful with what you wish for. For the sake of electricity and the casualties(the trees).

**Interlude**

Winry stretched in her seat before letting her arms drop back down with a tired sigh. "How much farther till we get there, Ed?"

"Not for long now." he answered somewhat passively, sitting opposite from her. He was busy fiddling with his military watch, something of a habit he was accustomed to. It helped him think sometimes.

She watched Ed for a while, and then an idea came to her.

"Hey, Ed! Do you wanna play cards?" Winry produced a deck from her jacket pocket and showed it to him.

"Uh…no thanks, Winry. I'm good."

She frowned, a little disappointed. He could be so hard to entertain.

_Then again…he must be thinking of a lot of things. Ever since that incident in Reole, he's been really quiet._

Winry furrowed her brows, watching Ed turn the pocket watch over in his right gloved hand. His metal hand.

…_Are we ever going to find the cure? Will Ed and I ever be normal again…?_

_What about me? What about my real body? How do I know that it's not…gone?_

Winry wanted to stop right there. If she thought too much on that, she might lose face along the way and give up.

She looked out the window and watched the scenery fly by with sadness in her eyes. Wherever they went, for the past six months, nothing they found came close to being a clue. The Philosopher's stone: the only sole evidence for recovery.

"…So about this assignment, Ed."

He looked up to shoot her a glance, frowning. "Yeah. The Colonel asked for me to make an inspection. See how things are running over there."

She cast her eyes inside the car, and Winry's confusion grew. "But going this way, no one's on board at all."

Aside from them, the train car was empty. Or the entire train, for that matter.

"Yeah. I heard rumors, but I didn't think it would be this bad…" Ed stated, scanning the map in his hands. "And it's because there's nothing to see there. Youswell coal mine."

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 3: The Coal Mine Town**

_Let's get yourself  
__Sound off your spirit to its limit  
__Try again  
__Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
__Scream till your body withers  
__Change your way  
__To the future,  
__Which changes even more than the past_

The pair scouted the little town, suitcases in hand. Winry carried hers in both. Ed glanced around at the buildings. Aside from the spooky quietness of Youswell, everything seemed just fine. But…

"You know," Ed directed to his companion, "I thought a coal mine would be a little livelier."

Winry nodded quietly. "Yeah. And yet, everybody's really tired…"

"Where do you think's a good place to stay?"

She hefted the suitcase with a grunt, before muttering, "I think—"

BONK!

"Whoops, sorry." a boy of ten said to Ed, who to his misfortune got whacked in the head by the wooden post the boy was lifting over his shoulders. And he sat rubbing his head in annoyance.

"That hurts, you little—!"

"Ed, are you okay?" Winry asked him brow furrowed in concern. Then a second later, she added teasingly, "If you weren't so short, you wouldn't have gotten it in the head."

Ed rounded on her, looking apoplectic now. "Don't _you_ start with me!"

"AH!" One end of the post fell in front of him, the boy suddenly excited. "Are you guys tourists?"

"Uh, well—" Winry started.

"Where'd you come from?" the boy continued to press.

"Ah…" Ed stuttered, trying to come up with an answer.

"Want food?"

"No."

"Decided where you're staying?"

"Wait a minute…!" Ed began.

"DAD! CUSTOMERS!" the boy hollered up to his father.

"Listen to what other people are saying!" Ed fumed.

"What is it, Kaval?" a tall bearded man clad in coal miner gear showed up with a pipe on his shoulders.

"A customer!" the boy Kaval answered eagerly. "Revenue!"

"What do you mean by _revenue_?" Ed demanded losing his temper.

"Ed, wait!"

"Hey." Kaval's father flashed them a grin.

**-sss-**

Later, Edward and Winry found themselves sitting at a table in Kaval's father's store/restaurant.

"Sorry if it's a little dusty." he apologized. "The salary for coal miners is low, so I'm working at this store part-time."

"What're you saying boss?" one of the miners guffawed. "You're the one who's taking cash away from guys with money problems!"

"Yeah, the wife would cry!"

"Shaddup!" he snapped. "If you got any complaints, pay your beer tab!"

"One night and two meals for two, right?" his wife asked the two teenagers politely.

"Yeah, how much?" Ed inquired.

The boss turned towards him with a gleam in his eyes. "It's expensive."

"Fear not." Ed returned the challenging stare. "I have plenty on me."

"200,000!"

Ed fell off his chair in shock. Winry would have too. If she was sitting down, that is.

"There's nothing good about a rip-off like that!" the alchemist complained.

"Sir we're not carrying money in suitcases!" Winry chimed in.

"That's why I said 'expensive'." said the boss flatly. "We have to get cash from rare tourists."

Ed had had enough. "Don't joke around! We'll go somewhere else!"

A hammer-sized hand grabbed his head. So much for the hospitality.

"TRYING TO GET AWAY, REVENUE?"

Winry suddenly felt protective of Ed, and she walked up to the boss, anger written on her face. "Hey, you leave him alone! You can't swindle money off of us like that!"

No sooner did she say that, when another giant hand grabbed her around the back of her neck, scaring her out of her wits and she emitted a terrified squeak.

"YOU TOO, MISSY?"

"Winry!" Ed rounded on the boss with a furious snarl. "Let her go, you ape!"

But inside, he was in a panic. No, they _both_ were. Nobody could tell the difference between flesh and painted clay. _Unless_ they were being touched.

Kaval laughed from across the room. "You'd better give it up, Bro. It's the same price everywhere else."

**-sss-**

Ed crouched behind the table, counting their money with desperation. Winry knelt next to him, rubbing the back of her neck. Thank God the boss was too excited about tourist-herding to notice anything.

"Well?" she asked.

"…Not enough."

Picking from a variety of choice solutions, Ed whispered, "In this situation, I could change rocks to gold through alchemy…!"

Winry picked up on that, and scolded, "No, Ed…! Gold transmutation is illegal according to the National Alchemist law, isn't it?"

"If nobody finds out, we're fine." Ed said in a creepy voice. "If nobody finds out. Huhuhuhuhu…"

She grimaced. "Ed, I knew you were evil, but this is going too far…!"

Suddenly, the mischief vanished, and he fixed Winry with a stare so intense it caught her off-guard. And she felt herself quickly blush(if she actually could, that is) under his scrutinizing gaze. He was giving her the same look he threw other people whom he cross-examined. And when he did, it was almost as if he could look into their minds, into their hearts…

"Wh-what…?" she stammered, daring herself to maintain eye contact with those bright, golden orbs.

After a few moments of silence, Ed threw up another suggestion, holding the seriousness of his air. "Okay then. Winry, say you _strip_ so we can get money for our lodgings?"

Cricket chirp.

"IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK OF ME?" Winry shrieked at the top of her lungs in outrage, hands around Ed's neck and shaking him like a rattle. "ED, YOU BETTER BE JOKING OR I'LL STOMP ON YOUR FACE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! _YOU_, OF ALL PEOPLE!"

The racket caught everyone's attention.

"…Psst! Sis. Bro."

Winry desisted, still rattled, Ed falling limp in her grasp. Kaval was crouching between them, eyes shifting from Ed to Winry and back. Apparently he'd heard every word of their conversation. But it wasn't the stripping idea that reawakened his undying excitement.

"DAD! THIS GUY'S AN ALCHEMIST!"

**-sss-**

Ed clapped his hands and fixed the broken pickaxe on the table, to everyone's astonishment and awe.

"Well I'm happy!" the boss declared. "It's been a while since I've had an alchemist as a customer." he placed the plate in front of Ed. "I used to do a bit of alchemy before. Didn't have any talent, so I quit studying it. So I tell you kids what. I'll give you a discount as a favor to a fellow practitioner."

"Alright!" Ed and Winry cheered.

"That'll be 100,000 with the huge discount."

Winry deflated.

"That's still expensive!" Ed's temple started to throb.

She patted him on the shoulder. "Never mind, Ed. We'll get to round up some money easier that way at least." she told him encouragingly.

"Yeah, I guess." he muttered sullenly. Then, "But we still need you to strip."

A suitcase collided with the back of his head. Winry's suitcase. And the fact that a woman had twice as much luggage than a man, which meant double the weight, was pretty much a given.

"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing his offended skull.

"Okay. _Now_ I know you were just joking." Winry told him, false brow twitching. "And I wish you wouldn't!"

The boss coughed into his fist. "Well, aren't you both the couple."

"We're not a _couple_!"

The simultaneousness of their response didn't help their argument, and it sent the bearded man laughing. The "couple" settled for trying to hold to whatever dignity they had left and quieted down, embarrassment written on both their faces. Worse on Ed's case probably, since Winry didn't have blood to blush anyway.

"By the way," the boss choked, settling down, "you still haven't told me your names."

"Oh, right." Ed turned his attention to his plate, utensils in hand. "This is my childhood friend Winry Edgestone, an alchemist like me. I'm Edward Elric."

But before he could dig in, the plate was swiped off the table. He turned with a puzzled look to the boss, Winry sharing the same feeling as him.

"If you're an alchemist named Elric…that would make you a National Alchemist, right?"

Silence fell in the store. Winry had a bad feeling.

Ed, on the other hand, kept talking. But he was being careful with his words now. "Maybe a little on the side."

All the same, his cup was the second thing to go.

"What the hell's your problem?" he demanded, losing it.

"GET OUT!"

Before they even had a chance to speak, both Ed and Winry were thrown out into the darkness of the night.

"Hey! We're customers!" Ed hollered from his position on the ground.

"Shoo shoo!" the boss retorted. "We don't have meals or beds for a dog of the army!"

"Wha—"

"Wait!" Winry scrambled to her feet. "I'm a normal person! I'm not a National anything!"

"Oh really? Come on in!" they beckoned warmly.

"WHA—? WINRY?"

**-sss-**

"Good grief, and I thought we'd gotten outsiders after such a long time."

"Don't be a sissy."

Winry cast her blue eyes around at everyone with anxiety. "Ed's not liked an awful lot."

"Yeah, that's right." Kaval scowled. "Everybody here really hates anyone in the army. First Lieutenant Yoki controls this place. He's really money crazy. He's the worst."

"The guys at Central really look like they love the guy," piped one of the men, "even when he keeps sending them bribes."

"He bought his current rank too." grumbled another.

"He used to just be a coal mining proprietor but he got greedy for promotion."

"Eh? Then this place is…!" Winry realized.

"Yeah, missy. This place is Yoki's private property. He takes advantage of his rights and lowers our salaries down to crumbs!"

"And on top of that, all the guys who tried to complain about him got beaten up!"

"He sucks, right?" Kaval fumed.

Winry's plate arrived at the table, and she thanked the boss. "Missy, for your boyfriend to become a National Alchemist…it's despicable. Alchemists live for the sake of the people. A practitioner has common sense as well as pride."

He looked away with disgust. "I can't forgive anyone who would sell their soul to the national military for the privileges they offer."

Winry listened with a pained expression on her face.

_They really despise Ed…if only they knew why he joined in the first place…_

…_Then again…_

**-sss-**

The quietness of the night was shattered by Ed's growling stomach as he lay prostrate on his stomach on the porch.

"I'm hungryyyyyy…" he moaned, looking pretty much like an adorable sad, suicidal puppy. "Damn it…damn you, Winry…"

He couldn't believe it. She just left him to eat the dust outside while she sat in comfort inside the store.

_And to think I thought she was cute…! She's not cute! NOT AT ALL!_

Just then, he heard the clatter of a mug, and he looked up to see a smiling Winry presenting him a tray of food.

"I snuck this out when they weren't looking." she told him sweetly.

"Wha…!"

_I take back what I said about her! Winry IS cute!_

"D-um, th-thanks Winry!" he stuttered in amazement, making her giggle and pout playfully.

"You really think I'm _that_ cold to leave you to starve out here?"

Later on, Winry filled him in on what she'd heard inside.

"Yeah, corrupt officials are everywhere." he replied.

"And because of them, their rations are poor."

"…I see." he replied, a little more quietly. "So thanks to that First Lieutenant Yoki, we were treated pretty badly. And everyone here hates the army. Honestly, even in good times, we wouldn't be so hated."

Winry was thoughtful there for a moment. Then she whispered so softly that Ed almost missed the words. "Maybe I should try to get a license too."

He turned to face her with a firm stare. "Don't, Winry. It'll be enough for me to just sit on this bed of thorns by myself. And the last thing I want is for you to get treated as badly as me."

She sat there, stunned at the words. Ed had sounded so sweet and sincere. It might have been the first time. Winry's butterflies were suddenly swarming in her nonexistent stomach, and she had to fight back the inexplicable urge to wrap him in a bear hug. Or…_kiss_ him…or something…

…Okay, she needed to stop thinking about _that_.

Luckily, he didn't notice the look on her face, as he went on.

"To go so low as to be a military dog, huh? I don't have anything to say to that, though."

"Plus," Winry chimed in quietly, "we ignored the law and got these bodies as a result…"

A silence fell between them. Then Winry went on to say, "What would our master think…"

Ed sighed.

But there was a tense air that followed after that. And they both shuddered at the prospect of their fates if they ever turned up at their master's door now.

"We'd be killed…!" they said in unison.

"Out of the way!" an unfamiliar voice behind them caught their attention.

**-sss-**

Three men in military uniforms strode into the store, each as obstinate as the next one. And the thin-mustached one taking the lead, the First Lieutenant Yoki himself, was dabbing his face with a handkerchief.

"Such a dirty store as usual, Hulling." he muttered.

"It's you, First Lieutenant." the boss greeted blandly from behind the counter. "Welcome to this filthy place."

"Nice greeting." Yoki sniffed. "It seems that this place isn't paying its taxes. And this doesn't stop at you. I could say the same for everyone in this town."

The bearded man's brows furrowed. But if there was any civility left in his blood, he was using it now. "I apologize. I can't do anything about our wages."

"Hmph. And yet, there's more than enough to just enjoy alcohol? Which means, it would be acceptable if I lowered your income a little?"

All the miners began to object, but Kaval was the first to act. "Why you!"

A dirty rag was flung into Yoki's face.

"Don't push us around!"

"First Lieutenant! You little runt!" the first subordinate growled.

Yoki backhanded the boy, who collapsed to the floor.

"Kaval!" the boss yelled.

The First Lieutenant, however, wasn't swayed. "Show him no mercy as a child. This is a warning."

The second subordinate drew his sword and took a swing towards Kaval, his father rushing towards him. "KAVAL!"

The man brought his sword down upon the boy…

…and struck a metal arm.

Kaval, whose arm was up in defense, brought it down to see Edward shielding him from the attack with his own arm.

The room's clamor increased tenfold.

SNAP!

The man's sword broke in half, much to his shock. "HUH?"

Finally, Yoki found his voice and outraged, demanded, "WHAT? Who is this ruffian?"

Coolly, Ed sipped from his mug as if nothing was wrong. "A passerby ruffian." he replied.

Winry stood at the doorway behind the three officials, sighing in relief to see that no one was hurt.

"This has nothing to do with you! Stay out of this!" Yoki yelled at Ed.

"Nah, I saw the First Lieutenant, so I figured…" he flicked his pocket watch out of his pocket for everyone to see. "…why not say hi?"

Yoki fixed his beady eyes on the watch. "This is…eh…!"

He balked when he recognized the engravement. _The President's crest! The hexagram silver watch!_

Meanwhile, the second subordinate whispered to him, "First Lieutenant, who's that kid?"

His question was answered by a smack to his face.

"YOU MORON!" Yoki scolded, then he dropped his voice to a squeak. "Haven't you heard of the National Alchemists? The agency under the President's control?"

The man was disbelieving. "Sir, are you serious? That _pipsqueak_?"

Ed must have heard that, when his eye twitched in annoyance. But he kept his temper in check and stayed quiet. Winry continued to watch the scene.

"This is my chance." Yoki went on.

"Huh?"

"I'll be able to make some connections in Central if I make a good impression!"

"What cunning, First Lieutenant…!"

With the conversation ended, said official glided over to the young alchemist. "I apologize for my subordinate's actions. I am Yoki, this town's governor."

Ed looked around at everyone while Yoki continued. "It must be some sort of fate that we met like this. Don't stay in this filthy place! This might be a town in the country, but we have excellent lodgings!"

The golden-haired boy smirked. "Then I'll let you take care of things, 'cause this old man wouldn't let me stay here. He's really _stingy_."

Said old man bristled.

And with that, Ed made to follow the three men.

"Ed…!"

He turned his head to the side towards Winry at the doorway. She looked worried. Instead of answering he just grinned, before taking her hand to drop his moneybag in it and went on his way, leaving her to watch after him in exasperation and puzzlement.

"Hey!" she flailed her arms in the air after him. "Now _you're_ leaving me all alone?"

"Do you understand?" Yoki turned back to the boss. "The taxes will definitely be paid! I'll be back!"

The door slammed behind them. Instantly, an outburst sprung up among the miners.

"What a pain in the ass!" Kaval complained in agitation.

"Which one?" Winry sighed.

"BOTH!" they all said in unison.

"Missy," the boss slapped a hand to his face, "you should reconsider, and dump that no-good boyfriend of yours."

"He's not my boyfriend…" Winry muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"Yeah. I betcha he isn't."

**-sss-**

"Don't hold back. Please eat."

Ed was staring at his food, a little disgruntled. "I'm eating good stuff…even when the town is…"

"It is embarrassing to talk about," Yoki said opposite him, "but I am having difficulty collecting taxes. In addition, there are ruffians like the ones earlier…hahaha. Yes, it really is embarrassing."

"So," Ed munched, "they insist they have rights, while not paying their taxes."

"Exactly. Sir Edward, you're rather smart." the First Lieutenant commented.

"All logic in the world can be represented by the basis of alchemy, 'equivalent exchange'." Ed explained knowledgeably. "Privilege comes with duty."

Yoki nodded along. "I see, I see. Yes, wonderful. So then," he rang a small bell, "I wonder if you will accept this as 'logic'?"

Instantly, an official appeared with a tray carrying a small but really fat moneybag.

"Sir Edward, because you are a National Alchemist, it is thought that you would have some sort of influence with the higher-ups. This is merely what I feel, but…"

The tray was placed beside him, and he stared at it before picking the bag up. "This is the so-called 'bribe', isn't it?"

Yoki grinned behind his clasped hands. "What I feel. I do not want to end my life as a petty official of a hick town like this. You do understand, don't you?"

**-sss-**

"Please rest peacefully." Yoki bid Ed as two officials led him to his room.

"Thanks."

Just then, the first subordinate appeared behind Yoki. "First Lieutenant. This concerns Hulling's store. It seems that every night, disturbing elements gather there to complain about their treatment."

"Hmph." he scoffed. "They were being somewhat defiant earlier. How annoying."

"What are your orders, sir?"

"Burn it." was Yoki's simple command.

And it reached his guest's ears.

**-sss-**

Winry lay curled up in bed, unable to sleep. It wasn't as if she could. But she didn't want to make anyone suspicious, so she had to take up a room somewhere, much to the boss's disconcertion. Maybe there was some sense in Ed leaving her in charge of their funds. Sighing deeply, she wondered what on earth Ed was doing at that moment.

…_Sleeping, of course. Stop thinking about him…!_ she commanded herself.

She was so tired, spiritually. Winry was a little appreciative of how she never felt physical exhaustion in the body she possessed. But there was very little convenience in owning such a body. For one thing, she couldn't let others come in contact with her in case they felt the "plasticity", which was why she got nervous around crowds. In a hot climate, she was stiff in her limbs and found it hard to move around because the fibers within the clay dried up and always needed to be kept moist for they allowed her movement. For certain, the clay, along with the body paint, concealed the layers and gently protected the fibers from drying up, but Winry always worried about the paint peeling.

She couldn't eat anything because her body never starved. She didn't need to drink because she never got thirsty. And sleep was always the last thing on her mind.

Winry snuggled further into her pillow, pretending to be comfortable for her own sake. She was still fully clothed, seeing that there was no real reason to shed her jacket. Tired of staring at the ceiling, she decided to close her eyes. Those eyes of pure glass…

And strangely enough, she began to dream…

**-sss-**

_**8 years ago…**_

"_Ed! Ed, where are you?"_

_Little Winry trudged tiredly up the hill, exhausted from playing. The two little ones, along with a few other boys, were playing Hide-and-seek. And Winry became It. And after two grueling, unsuccessful hours of searching up and down the fields and meadows for any sign of them, she'd given up and decided to look for her best friend instead, whom she hadn't found yet. And she was beginning to worry. Where was he?_

"_Ed! Ed come on! I wanna go home!" she cupped her hands over her mouth to yell for him._

_She reached the dirt road and quickened her pace as she continued to look for the missing boy. And as time passed, Winry's worry grew, and she was trying not to imagine the worst case scenarios. But for a 7-year old, she had quite a wild imagination. And when children let their imagination run away with them, it was hard trying to convince them of things that weren't even possible._

_**What if he drowned in the river? What if he fell into the well? What if he got kidnapped? What if the Bogey Man ate him?**_

_Shaking like a leaf, little Winry Edgestone tried to persevere and flat out refused to come back home without her friend. It was getting dark, and she was getting cold and hungry. Where was little Edward Elric?_

"_Ed! Ed!" she yelled at the top of her lungs in her tiny voice. "Please, come out! I don't wanna play anymore! Let's go home already! Please Ed!"_

_As loudly as she called, she received no answer._

_Then suddenly, the little girl began to well up inside, and she started to cry, the lonely abandoned feeling sweeping over her; the same feeling she had when she watched her parents, a pair of doctors, turn their backs as they departed for the battlefield._

"_Ed, where are youuuuuuuu?"_

**-sss-**

"Winry!"

Her eyes snapped open, and was greeted by a face she was only too familiarized with.

Had she actually fallen asleep?

"…Ed? Why are you—" she began confusedly, but he didn't waste time, and he grabbed her wrist.

"Come on!" he pulled her out of bed, her suitcase already in his other hand. She managed to catch a glimpse out the window before they exited the room, and her blue eyes widened to see the blazing fire outside.

**-sss-**

"I can't believe this…!"

Winry fell to her knees in shock as she watched the fire consume Hulling's store. To think that she was just next door; she could have burnt. Ed was some feet ahead of her, watching the flames lick the porch almost passively. But she knew what he was thinking.

_It's just like that time…_

**-sss-**

The next day, all the townsfolk gathered around the place where the store used to stand. But of all the people offended by the scene, it was the boss and his family.

"This is horrible…" one of them groaned.

Winry glanced at Ed beside her, who said, "Last night, Yoki's men were hanging around the boss's store. I saw it." he came to stare at the ground. "What's lucky is that the place you were staying at didn't catch fire too…"

She was quiet, but she nodded. "Yeah. But…how'd you know I was in there…?"

Ed's bangs fell to hide his eyes. "…I didn't. I just went to look for you."

She stared. Then she couldn't help but smile warmly in gratitude. "Thanks for coming for me."

Ed looked like he wanted to say something else, but the subject was dropped immediately when Kaval sunk to his knees and cursed out loud.

"Damn it…they really pulled something dirty this time…" Kaval mumbled, sullen-faced. "The reason why Dad studied alchemy was so that he could save this town, live the way an alchemist should and help the people."

"Kaval…" Winry whispered.

The boy's face suddenly lit up, and his eyes fell on Ed. "Hey Ed, you have enough power to transmute gold, don't you? Transmute in a jiff and save Dad…and the town…!"

The alchemist held his gaze for a second before turning away. "No."

"No way…" Kaval couldn't believe his ears. "Isn't it ok? You won't lose anything either!"

"Kaval—" Winry started, but Ed cut her off.

"The alchemic standard is 'exact trade'! I don't have any obligation or responsibility to make money for you."

"Why you…!"

Kaval lunged for Ed and grabbed the front of his coat in a threatening gesture, his other hand balled into a fist.

"Kaval!" Winry exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders to restrain him.

"And you're supposed to be an alchemist!" he yelled, at eye-level with Ed and ignoring Winry's vain protests.

For several moments, the two stared, silently daring the other to move. Then Ed opened his mouth. "'Alchemists live for the sake of the people', eh?"

With one move, he jerked away from Kaval's grip. "In any case, even if I give you money, it'll be taken away as taxes and then it'll be over. I won't get anything either if I do anything for your little problems."

Ed turned on his heel, readjusting his red coat. "In your situation, I'd just get out of this town and look for a different job."

"Kid, you don't get it."

He spared the boss behind him a glance. And the bearded man patted his son on the head as he cried.

"This is our home. And our coffin." he muttered solemnly as he walked off with his family.

Winry watched the miners move away with saddened eyes. "Their…coffin…"

Then she heard feet shifting behind her, and she turned to see her best friend moving away too, and she followed.

"Ed! Wait! Where are you going?"

But he plunged on ahead, in the direction of the mine cars.

"Ed!" Winry called sharply once she'd caught up to him, then her voice softened. "Ed…are you really going to—"

"Winry." he cut her off again. It was surprising how she didn't find it annoying. "How much do you think this pile of sludge weighs?"

Ed was eyeing one of the motionless cars carting a load.

She blinked, wondering if she heard him right. But she decided to answer his question anyway. "Um…I'd say around one or…two tons?"

He made a sound in his throat as an affirmative. "Alright then."

And before she could object, he was already clambering onto the car. "I'll break the law a little, so pretend you're not watching."

Winry's blue eyes widened in realization. "Wh—? …So, are you asking me to assist you?"

Ed clapped his hands together in preparation. "If you don't want to, I'll understand."

She seemed thoughtful for a moment, but her face broke into a grin. "Since when have I ever not helped you, Edward Elric?"

Her answer surprised him a little, but he shared grins with her.

"Besides, if I said no, you'd still do it, right?" she beamed, knowing him.

Ed began the transmutation. "Whaaaat? If no one finds out, it's okay."

She shook her head. "Oh well. So far in our line of work, we're more of fugitives than just alchemists, anyway."

**-sss-**

The First Lieutenant's jaw literally dropped to the floor. Along with everyone else's.

"Ex…" he stammered. "…ex…cuse me…?"

Ed and Winry stood at the doorway. And behind them, glowing pyramids of gold bars lay neatly stacked.

Ed cleared his throat as if to emphasize his request. "I said I'd like you to sell me the deed to the coal mines."

Some of the officials were ogling at the pyramids up close. "Incredible…they're all real…?"

"Not enough?" Winry asked innocently.

Yoki flailed his arms. "D-d-d-don't be absurd!" and he clasped his hands in bliss. "With just this, I can say goodbye to this town…"

_Send bribes to the higher ranks and then, and then…!_

His attention fell on Ed again. "And then…"

Taking the hint, Ed smiled, pearly whites glinting. "Yes, I'll be sure to inform my friends among the higher-ups about the First Lieutenant."

"Sir Alchemist!" Yoki clasped his hand in blind joy.

"However," Ed went on, "gold transmutation is illegal, so I'd appreciate it if you'd write a memorandum stating that the deed was kindly transferred free of charge, so that no one finds out."

"I don't mind! Very well, let's skip to the legal process…" Yoki clapped a hand to his mouth in adoration. "But sir Alchemist, you are quite evil. Hohoho…!"

Ed went along with him. "No, no. Not as much as the First Lieutenant. Hohoho…!"

Winry sighed. _They look like they're having fun._

**-sss-**

"Dad!" Kaval pounded a fist on the barrel. "Why stop?"

Because I won't let you attack them." his father quietly put in.

They were all gathered inside one of the warehouses. And now the boss had had enough of rebelling. But the others felt otherwise.

"Even if the boss doesn't, I will…" muttered one.

"Yeah, I've had enough."

"Even if we die, I'm going to shoot off that Yoki's head with one shot!"

"No!" the boss was firm. "I won't let all of you become criminals!"

"But…!" Kaval started to protest.

Then the door was thrown wide open, and in walked the two people they were least expecting to see at this time.

"Hiii everybody!" Ed walked in with an uncharacteristically cheerful smile on his face.

"All people who owe money, line up and be very happy!" Winry chimed in, _genuinely_ cheerful. Ed was really just being smug.

The brightness of the pair contrasted with the glum of the miners.

"What did you come here for…?" Kaval grumbled.

"Hey, hey." Ed chided. "You wouldn't say that to the owner of this place, would you?"

One of the miners lost his patience with the smart-aleck and demanded, "What the hell are you—!" A set of papers perused in his face interrupted him, and he frowned further. "This is…"

Ed grinned smugly. "Mining, management, sales…the deed for all businesses."

"But why the hell are you holding this…?"

Then the signature at the bottom caught the miner's attention, and he blanched reading it. "AAAAHHHH! THE SIGNATURE READS EDWARD ELRIC!"

And everyone else blanched along with him. They looked like a set of chalk people.

"RIGHT! IN SHORT, PRESENTLY…!" Ed announced with an emphasis. "THIS COAL MINE IS MINE!"

"NO WAY!" was everyone's obvious reaction.

"…Is what I said." the prodigy finished. "We're the wandering sorts that go from town to town."

"Yes." Winry agreed. "We can't own this mine if we travel around so much…"

The boss's brow furrowed. "…Are you saying you're going to sell this to us? How much?"

Ed grinned with mischief in his eyes. "It's expensive? If you want to get something, you gotta pay a price."

The bearded man suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Winry, would you care to do the honors?" Ed gestured to her.

She almost laughed at his silliness, but she took the stage anyway. "The deed is vellum embossed in gold. And its storage box has a design finely carved in jade. The work of a fine craftsman." she spared the proud Ed a glance before finishing, "Oh, and the key is silver."

"To the untrained eye," Ed took over, "all of this lumped together...equals the price of one night and two meals for two at the boss's place. Is this a reasonable transaction?"

Everyone was quiet. Then, Kaval gasped.

"Ah, exact trade…!"

His words were followed by laughter coming from his father, the boss. "Hahahaha, yeah that _is _expensive!" he slammed his fist down on the barrel to settle it. "ALRIGHT, BOUGHT!"

Ed, in turn, slapped the papers on the barrel. "SOLD!"

Then, more visitors appeared at the doorway. And a very stressed Yoki barged in. "Sir Alchemist, what is the meaning of this?"

"Well if it isn't the First Lieutenant." Ed commented, looking like an innocent puppy. "I just sold the deed to this man."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Yoki slapped his forehead. "No, never mind that! More importantly, the gold bricks you gave me all turned into stone!"

As to attest his complaint, he was holding a handful of pebbles. "Why did this happen? Please explain!"

"When did you turn it back, Ed?" Winry whispered in his ear.

"Just before we left." then to the distressed official he answered pleasantly, "I don't know anything about gold bricks."

"Don't play innocent with me! Didn't I trade the certificate for that mountain of gold? This is fraud!"

"Oh?" Ed smugly produced another piece of paper and showed it to Yoki. "I received the certificate free of charge, and look! This is a memorandum."

"HUUUUUUHHHH?"

Yoki snarled. "This transaction is invalid! You two take back the…"

His protests died in his throat when the biggest miner meandered over to them.

"…deed…?"

"You shouldn't take our private property through force." he said.

"Is this abuse of authority?" another piped up.

"S-silence!" Yoki sputtered, losing his nerve. "If you don't want to get hurt, hurry up and—"

"Uh-uh-uhhh…" they began to crack their knuckles. "Not taking coal miner power seriously is a MAJOR no-no, First Lieutenant."

In two seconds, Yoki's two subordinates were on the floor, either bashed in the face or clocked in the head. And the First Lieutenant stood there, screaming like a girl.

"Ah, I forgot." Ed said as an afterthought. "First Lieutenant."

He looked at the boy questioningly.

"I'll be sure to inform the higher-ups about the First Lieutenant's _incompetence_. Please take care of it from there."

Yoki felt summer slipping away from him, and figuratively, he died on the inside.

"ALRIGHT!" The miners cheered. "BRING THE BEER! BRING THE BEER!"

Winry lunged for Ed and embraced him. "Ed, we did it! We did it!"

Too shocked for words, all that red-faced Edward could come up with was a, "Uh…yeah…!"

She squealed when they started pouring the beer on their heads.

"GAAHHH!" Ed complained. "What are you doing? Don't make minors drink!"

"What? I did it when I was your age!" laughed a miner.

"You can't get bigger if you don't drink!"

"HEY!"

"Come on! You and your girlfriend need to relax and have fun now!" the boss laughed.

"WE'RE NOT A COUPLE!"

**End of Chapter 3**

**A/N: **Okies, there you go. Sorry about Ed's perversity. But hey, he's a teenager, and traveling with a girl rather than a big suit of armor might give him ideas, ehehe. Plus, he can be really vulgar. What with him calling Winry a bitch during the manga. Yeah, really. And he was just joking about Winry stripping, of course. Lol, stripping doll-Winry is like stripping Barbie! Thus, EXPOSURE!

Btw, haven't you guys figured out yet which anime doll-Winry was inspired from? It's too easy. Just think: clay. Or maybe, mud.


	4. Battle on the Train

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N:** Aaah! Sorry for the lateness! XD;

And someone finally got the answer for my question: Inuyasha played a part for my inspiration. Yes. :) It's thanks to the old crone who resurrected Kikyou, and Kikyou herself for that aspiring method of creating life.

Now, onto the chappie!

Yippee! We get to test if Winry's style is to be the "damsel in distress" rather than "Lara Croft"! Or something to that imagination. XD

**Note:** My ever-changing style of writing seems to be the influence of one **ibshafer**. Ibshafer-san, we love you. XD

**Interlude**

"The hijacked train is the 04804 Limited Express from New Optain. The fugitives responsible are radicals going by the name of 'Blue Group'."

"Any declaration?"

A shuffling of papers.

"A rather spirited one came in. Do you want to read it?"

A tired sigh.

"No thanks. It's definitely going to be insulting to us anyway."

"Quite correct."

At Central Headquarters, a situation too delicate to ignore was being taken into the hands of several of the most prestigious officials of the National Army. And into the assembly room marched one of the finest officials, followed by a very loyal subordinate.

The Colonel and the First Lieutenant.

"They're demanding the release of their imprisoned leader."

"As usual. So…is the general really on board?"

The question was answered by another official, Sergeant Vard Falman. "We're still trying to confirm that, but yes, it's possible."

The Colonel rubbed the back of his neck in mild exasperation. "Well, that's going to be a problem. And I had a date tonight too."

"Have overtime with us once in a while." a bulky man by the name of Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda informed him, waving a mug in the air. "With crappy tea…"

The dark-haired man cupped his chin in thought. "One possibility is to sacrifice the general, and the case will wrap itself up…"

"Please don't say anything foolish, Colonel." young Private Cain Fuery implored, handing him a sheet of paper. "This is the passenger list."

The Colonel studied it with Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc looking over his shoulder. "Ah. Old man Halcrow really is riding with his family."

"Good grief." the Colonel grumbled. "He knows how unsteady things are over here, but he takes a vacation at a time like this…"

Then his eye caught something else on the list. And he couldn't help but smirk, knowing they could sit back on this one.

"Gentlemen. It looks like we can leave earlier today than we thought."

Everyone in the room turned to look at the Colonel with equally puzzled expressions. Until he added, "The Fullmetal Alchemist is on board."

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 4: Battle on the Train**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

Edward Elric.

Age, fifteen.

Given name, Fullmetal Alchemist.

Rank, Major.

Reputation, child prodigy.

Current status…

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…"

Asleep.

"Ed…!" Winry hissed in his ear. One hand was clutching his coat and shaking him vigorously, the other held tightly to a stick of chalk. "Ed, wake up!"

Said alchemist snoozed, probably never to wake up till Armageddon. Walking along the row behind them, a set of armed thugs were "ushering" the passengers back to their seats. Those who tried to object got the royal treatment. And they were coming closer to where the two alchemists were sitting.

"Ed, wake up already!" Winry almost wanted to yell at him. But she didn't think noise was appreciated at this time especially with gun-toting criminals on board their train.

_Machine_ gun-toting criminals.

In this situation, both teenagers would've armed themselves with at least 2 or more weapons, preferably sharp and metallic, and raised a wall as their defense. The weapons would be the products of Ed's handiwork. Winry, for lack of imagining a weapon vicious enough to kill(which she'd rather not), preferred to form the wall for them both, either one of stone or a metal shield. This was how Edward and Winry worked when it came to strategy. He took the offensive stance, and she held their defense.

Right now, Winry could do with a nice, thick, bulletproof safeguard, _if_ she could just first rouse the major/tactician/artillerist from their nap. Which in this case, was almost as time-consuming as making a complex alchemy circle containing more than 20 figures. And they didn't have _enough_ time. So now if Edward would just come back to reality and stop dreaming about omelettes dancing the Cancan on his plate.

"Ed—"

A hand clapped on the head of his seat and Winry gasped audibly.

_Too late!_

"You can sleep pretty well in a situation like this, kid." the armed thug leaned on his elbow, leering at the sleeping alchemist. Then his gaze fell on Winry, and his brows knit. "You! Get back in your seat!"

Winry, caught between obeying the order and taking the offensive position(thus increasing the chances of ending her not-so-quite life), settled for the first option and scrambled to sit back in her place, quickly tucking the hand that held the chalk inside her jacket.

"Hey!" the gunman was now poking at Ed's face with the barrel of his rifle. "Hey, wake up!"

As Ed's response was another snore and some incoherent mumbling, Winry was beginning to have second thoughts about him under the missing-in-action mode as a train of thought floated into her head, reading something along the lines of, "Flexibility leads to victory if we bend our heads and stay resilient", while "He sleeps too much and I'm too ignorant to not see the cuteness" was mingling somewhere there, and Winry couldn't even tell if she'd actually thought that or not.

Ed's lack of conformity ticked the man off. "…You…why don't you act a bit more like a hostage you…

"SHRIMP!"

Time slowed down, and Winry saw the name fall from the man's lips so slowly, dragging every vowel and consonant out of his mouth. Then time resumed its pace again.

And the next thing she knew, a heavy boot slammed down on the floor of the car, and an active Ed moved off his seat. Winry, wide-eyed and glued helplessly to the spot, swore she could almost see that familiar dark cloud labeled "MURDER" looming over his head. Unfortunately, the thug didn't know what was in store for him. So sad is his fate, is what we can just say.

"Huh." he scoffed, pointing the barrel at Ed. "You got any complaints?"

Two gloved hands clapped on the barrel and initiated the alchemical reaction, thus transforming the rifle's end into a curved horn, taking the thug back.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

But his second chance for speech was lost, as Ed's foot came in contact with the side of his face, thus knocking him out. Hard.

Winry squeaked when the man fell on his back near her own foot, and wondered if the Ed's-out-for-blood-so-don't-move-and-shut-your-trap warning sign was switched off now.

Ed stood, and silently eyed the second gunman aiming for his head. "Not bad, punk. We're told not to give mercy to anyone who resists us. Now I don't feel right about shooting a shrimp like you, but—"

"Aaaahh!" was the first thing that popped into Winry's head in a poor attempt to prevent chaos from ensuing. "Calm down, no fighting!"

"What?" the man yelled in reply to her. "You stay out of this, wench! Or you—"

BAM!

Two good things about that sound:

1) It had nothing to do with metal.

2) See above.

Needless to say, Ed's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" attack worked spectacularly against the gunman, his kneecap hitting the bull's eye in his opponent's face as he flew _like_ a butterfly into the air.

What followed after that remains up to the reader's imagination. In layman terms, the crap-beating ensued.

"WHO THE HELL IS THE FLEA-SIZED ULTRA SHRIMP!"

The feeble protest of "I didn't say that much…!" was drowned out by the violent sounds of metal hitting flesh, the thug given no mercy. And everyone, passengers and ticket collectors alike, had the same thought running through their minds: _What a monster…!_

"Ed…" a weak plea from his childhood friend, by a miracle, calmed the storm or rather the monster in Ed, and she added, "He'll die if you do any more than that…"

The still somewhat sleepy alchemist ceased his tirade with a quiet sigh, before turning back to Winry with a drowsy, "Anyway, who are these guys?"

She didn't know whether to punch him or…

…why did she always think about _kissing_?

**-sss-**

A minute later, both men, unarmed and tied up, either sat or lay on the floor of the train. The lay man(mind the pun) was the first offender, leaving the second man to be the stool pigeon of the situation.

"Other than us," he confessed weakly, "there are two in the engine room, four holding the general in the first class car, and four of us are guarding the hostages spread throughout the passenger cars."

"And?" In spite of the "cheerful" mood Ed was in, the gloved fist that came up spelled out the twenty-two different ways to kill a man _bare-handed_, and the thug panicked reading the obvious message.

"Eek! Really that's it!"

"There are still ten of them?" questioned a nervous woman.

"They'll retaliate if they find out about this…" a man added worriedly.

"If a certain somebody had acted calmly, this would have ended peacefully, right?"

Ed was quick to defend with a stubborn, "WE CAN'T MOVE ON IF WE ONLY REGRET THE PAST, WINRY!"

She sighed.

He grumbled, scratching his head. "Can't be helped. I'll take the top. Winry, you handle things down under."

"Okay, okay…"

"Come on. When the worst comes, barriers are your specialty, right?"

A man stepped forward as Ed clambered onto the windowsill. "Hold on. J…just who are you kids?"

The boy genius showed his teeth through his trademark grin. "We're alchemists!"

"Even the _girl_?"

Winry rubbed the back of her neck, modesty coming over her. "Well, I—"

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!!!"

"ED!" she screamed, seeing him fly out the window and cling for dear life to it. "Ed, are you okay?"

"THE WIND PRESSURE! THE WIND PRESSURE!"

Everyone en masse went, "We're worried…"

**-sss-**

Meanwhile in the other car, one of the guards was trying to communicate with the ones behind them. And found something weird.

"Huh. The guys in the back aren't picking it up." he pushed the sliding door back. "I'm gonna take a look."

"Roger." confirmed his companion.

"…Shit. And we told them to call as planned…"

But then he made the mistake of looking up…and feasted his eyes on a ten-foot iron behemoth towering over him.

And because it's human nature to take a shot at whatever scares the bejesus out of them, he raised his machine gun and fired.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

And to a more appalling level, the thing spoke. "Wait! Watch out for the rico—"

POW!

A stray bullet embedded itself into his kneecap, and he fell to the floor in agony. "Oooww…"

"…chet." the thing finished with a weak voice.

Then the door flew open again and the second thug came out, obviously hearing the racket. "Hey, what's—"

He stared at the monster before him. And once again, human instincts kicked in.

"G…WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"No waaaait!"

…_I knew I shouldn't have made the shield look like this…_ the culprit thought somewhat regretfully.

**-sss-**

Meanwhile, Edward Elric sprinted and leapt across the roof towards the front of the train, hoping to retrieve control of the train before launching the rescue plan.

_Just hope Winry's good to hold out…_

**-sss-**

"Barud."

Their leader, a rough-looking man with an eyepatch, looked up.

"The rear cars have stopped responding." his lackey reported.

"What's going on?" asked another guarding the door.

The man Barud looked ahead with an impassive face. "Someone's on board."

"Impossible! We took care of all the escorts and gained outside communication. The passengers can't call for anybody…"

"Were we sold out by the others?"

The general grimaced, listening to them talking. "Hmph. So you're a mixed bag of trash after all. Something unexpected happens, and it all falls apart soon after.

"Yes," he went on, leering at their boss, "you won't have your way. So hurry up and think about surrendering. You _worthless_ hoodlums!"

A gunshot, and a bullet penetrated General Halcrow's earlobe, and the gaping hole bled profusely to his and his family's horror.

"No more blabber." Barud stated over Halcrow's yell of pain, an automail gun in the place where his left arm used to be. "Next time around, I'll make your asshole bigger."

Sharp ears perked at a sound above his head, followed by a series of supposed footsteps making their way towards the front of the train. Without hesitation, Barud fired one bullet. It struck a light and went straight to the roof.

"Ouch!" followed by another "clunk".

Barud sat back down. "A rat. Check the top."

**-sss-**

"Wah! Too close! Too _close_!" Ed leapt off the roof and fell back on the rail to take a closer inspection of the bullet. Luckily, it wasn't skin it sunk into.

"I would have been a goner, if it wasn't my left foot." he grumbled, having removed his boot and staring at the bullet lodged into the groove of his metal sole. Now Ed was pissed. "Dammit! They're gonna pay for this! First up is to recapture the engine room!"

Dashing to the front, Ed poked his head in to scout. Only two henchmen were guarding the engineers.

_Hah. Too easy._

With the bullet still in his possession, he chucked it inside, where it bounced on the floor at one of the thugs' feet.

"Huh? A lead bullet…?" he picked it up with puzzlement.

"Where did that come from?" asked the other closest to the window.

Ed saw his chance. He kicked the back of the man's head, slamming him into one of the pipes and knocking a tooth out. Deftly, Ed landed on the floor in a crouched position, prepared for the second battle with the other thug, who rounded on him with a glare.

"Son of a—!"

Apologetically, too many people have had their words cut off in the production of this series.

But what was I saying? Oh yeah.

CLANK!

The henchman got himself "shoveled" by the engineer closest to him, followed by the other as they proceeded to rain him with a series of blows using shovel power. Much to Ed's surprise yet relief, and he gave them the thumbs-up.

"Anyway we can help?" the second engineer asked him.

"Just drive safely!"

Ed climbed back up onto the roof to get to rescuing the general's family. Only to meet the end of a rifle, and at the trigger…

"There you are, rat!"

The bald thug fired at the alchemist, who fell back just in time.

"That…is…" Ed growled, hands clapping, "DANGEROUS, YOU ASSHOLE!"

Within a second, the thug, to his horror, was sent back by a cannonball the size of a…eh…a human cannonball.

"Hey!" the engineer leaned out the window to scold Ed. "What do you think you're doing to the tender? That's the life of the train!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

Then the wheels in Ed's head started to turn as a diagram of the train popped into his brain. "Hm? The tender…?"

And it became clear to him that the tender carried not just oil, but _water_ in it.

Knocking on the car he was sitting on, he hatched a scheme.

**-sss-**

Meanwhile, with Winry moving around the cars toting a metal shield in the form of a ten-foot monster, every thug guarding every car did as all the others in their place had: shoot the monster, and then feel the upshot of their own bullets. Man was getting what it deserved for developing weapons of mass destruction.

_Maybe I should stop now…_ was what Winry was starting to think.

Until three more henchmen yelled and with machine guns armed, opened fire on the Iron Giant-rip off that was her creation, and she backtracked on her recent thought. And none of the men so far, ever had a clue that it was a fifteen-year old girl _behind_ it all.

_Ed, please hurry up!_

**-sss-**

"Barud! That ain't no rat!" the thug gasped lying on the floor, shaking. "I don't really get it, but there's this freak up on top!"

The boss scowled. _What the hell is going on…?_

"Hey car two, what's going on?" one of his men called up the second car. "HEY!"

The receiver buzzed, and a man's panicked voice answered. "Help! A metal monster is…!"

"Metal monster? What the hell are you—?"

"AH…!"

Then…

"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The man held the receiver away from his ear and stared at it with a mix of confusion and fear.

Amazingly, the person at the other end managed to say, "I'm dyiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing…" before passing out. Everyone, hostages and criminals, looked uncomfortable.

Then a grinding noise came from behind them, and turned to see…

…An Ed-speaker.

"Nyu!" said the Ed-speaker appearing on the wall overhead.

Everyone stared with equally blank expressions.

"What is that…?" a thug asked no one in particular.

Then it squawked, and Ed's voice came through. "Testing…testing…okay. Attention all criminals. We have recaptured the engine room and the rear cars, leaving this one to be the last to claim. Please release the hostages and surrender yourselves. Failure to do so will force us to resort to more drastic measures."

His arrogance infuriated Barud.

"Fuck off!" he retorted with a snarl. "I don't know who you are, but as long as we have hostages, we can't lose!"

The Ed-speaker sighed. "Oh dear me. Still full of that fighting spirit. Too bad negotiations have failed."

Following those words, a long metal tube emerged from the wall below the speaker, pointing directly at the fugitives, and one of them recognized it for what it was.

"A water pipe…?"

"All hostages, please hide behind shelter." the Ed-speaker chirped merrily.

And Ed turned the valve.

"RUN A—" was the last thing Barud managed to say, before he and his lackeys were swept away by the rushing water pouring from the pipe. Halcrow and his family, however, stayed safe inside their compartment, and the water swept them all into the second car, where Winry awaited with an iron cage just for them.

"Welcome." she greeted, letting the water sweep the new prisoners into the cage, locking the door behind them with a relieved smile. "Well, that's a mission acc—"

A rough hand clamped over her mouth, and she was shocked to realize that not every one of the criminals had been caught.

"Not yet…!" a man's voice growled in her ear, frightening her. "I still have my trump hostage…!"

Then he froze. And Barud stared at the hand he was using to silence the girl, sensing the texture of her skin beneath his own. Was this _flesh_?

"…You…" he scowled at Winry, who leaned away from him in response, blue eyes wide with fear.

"You'd better let her go if you know what's good for you."

Barud spun towards the newcomer, and the one responsible for his plan's sabotage. Ed entered through the ceiling and landed on all fours, throwing a dirty look at the man before he smirked.

"Oh? Another automail user?" he mused, transmuting the plate on his arm into a sharp blade. "Okay, buddy. How about letting my friend go?"

"Erm!" Winry's muffled cry alerted Barud to his situation, having been momentarily distracted by the fact that not only was Ed nothing more than a punk kid, but a punk _equipped_ with automail.

"Tch…! You brat, you!" he snarled, discarding all logic and just thought about spilling blood.

Tossing Winry to the side, Barud lunged for the alchemist, gun arm in front. She fell hard on her stomach with a gasp, and Winry looked up just in time to see Ed slice through the metal.

"Huh. You're using some cheap goods."

It was Winry's turn for a hit, and she landed a blow squarely in Barud's jaw with a kick. With that settled, the pair relaxed.

"You came just in time to save my neck." Winry looked to her friend, beaming.

Ed rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "Sheesh. Be more careful next time, Winry."

She crossed her arms over her chest in a pretend pout. "Well you came for me anyway. So that I'll thank you for at least."

Ed gave her a strange look before he looked away. "Yeah…"

**-sss-**

"Yo. Fullmetal."

A jovial Colonel greeted them both at the station, followed by his subordinate the First Lieutenant.

Ed's face morphed into one of disgust, but Winry managed to greet them both. "Oh, the Colonel and the First Lieutenant are here."

In a nanosecond, the Colonel was at Winry's side, looking much happier. "Why, hello there Winry! I'm glad you're safe. I was worried about you, what with Fullmetal as a hit-and-miss kinda guy, after all."

What Ed wouldn't give right now to take that bastard's egg-shaped head and crush it between his palms. Meanwhile, Winry was embarassed. Up close, she could really see the Colonel this dashing.

"Hello, Winry." the First Lieutenant greeted her.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss Riza."

"Should've stayed out of the Colonel's jurisdiction…" Ed grinded out, metal hand to his forehead.

His superior sighed. "As cold as usual…And…" he eyed the metal arm. "I see that the search for recovery hasn't been in your favor at all."

Ed looked away, holding his arm to eye-level. "We've skimmed books but we didn't find anything…we wanna search through East City now, but without a lead…"

"I've heard rumors. It seems you've been busy."

The shorter alchemist sweated, throwing the man a look. "You've got sharp ears as usual."

The Colonel shrugged. "It's because you show off."

"UWAH!"

A sharp cry of pain from the soldiers alerted them. The Blue Group's Barud was on his feet, with a hidden knife protruding from the remains of his automail arm.

"Ugh." Ed groaned, an arm sticking out in front of Winry as if to shield her.

Promptly, the First Lieutenant drew her gun from its holster. "Colonel, please stay back."

But a hand stopped her. "No worries, First Lieutenant. This should be fine."

With a battle cry, Barud dashed for the Colonel, blade out in front of him. Unfazed, the Colonel lifted one gloved hand, fingers posed for a snap. Then he clicked. And a spark of energy shot out at the fugitive, who fell back when the air in front of him exploded. "GWAAAAAHHHH!"

Smoking, he fell to the ground in a heap, allowing his two escorts to restrain him again. With a grunt he was on his stomach.

"I went easy on you." said the Colonel, standing over him. "If you're going to resist again, I'll turn you to ashes."

Barud glared from his position. "You…what the hell are you?"

The Colonel seemed only too happy to introduce himself, even to a criminal.

"Roy Mustang. Ranked Colonel. And one more thing." he smirked. "I'm the Flame Alchemist. Please remember that."

**End of Chapter 4**

**A/N: **Well there you go. Fangirls of Roy scream. And now you have to wait another 3-4 weeks for me to get some time into my hands and type again. XD No worries, I'll try, I'll try.

_And,_ in a fit of UTTER insanity, I decided to draw up spoofs. XP

**OMAKE 1**

Thug: Why don't you act more like a hostage you SHRIMP!

Ed: Zzzzzzzzzzzz…

Winry: …Ed?

Ed: Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Winry: -to Thug- Uh, try again.

Thug: -clears throat- HEY! I SAID WHY DON'T YOU ACT MORE LIKE A HOSTAGE, YOU SHRIMP!

Ed: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

Winry: -blink blink-

Thug: -blink blink-

Ed: -then he wakes up of his own accord- I HATE LEMON PIE!

Winry and Thug: …?

**OMAKE 2**

Thug 1: -pushes door aside- Shit…and we told them to call as planned…

Then he looks up to see…

Thug 1: UWAAAAHHH, IT'S MICHAEL JACKSON! –fires a round of bullets-

MJ: Ooooh! –feels the ricochet off his spooky-white plastic face-

Thug 1: -bullet hits him- Uwaaaaahhhhhhh!

MJ: Oh YEAH! I WIN! –does the freaky zombie dance-

**OMAKE 3**

Ed: -throws rubber duckie into the engine room-

Rubber Duckie: -bounces on the floor with two squeaks-

Thug: Ooooh, rubber duckie! I always wanted one! W00t! –dashes off to the bathroom-

Ed: -slaps forehead- Noooo! That's _my_ rubber duckie! –runs off after him-

**OMAKE 4**

Thug: There you are, rat! –fires rifle, and shoots off Ed's antenna-

Ed: -PISSED- YOU ASSHOLE! –summons a gatling gun and fires all over the place, aiming no one but hitting EVERYONE-

**OMAKE 5**

Thug 1: -through the radio- Help! Michael Jackson is—

Thug 2: Michael Jackson?

MJ: Whatsup?

Thug 1: AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

MJ: OW! –moonwalks-

Thug 1: THAT'S MY LINE!

**OMAKE 6**

Wall sparks, and out of the wall comes…

The Michael Jackson-speaker!

MJ-speaker: Hit me!

Thugs: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

MJ-speaker: General, surrender yoh kids to me now!

General: …!

**OMAKE 7**

Winry: Well, that's a mission acc—

Barud: -grabs her- Barbie dolllll…

Winry: …!

Barud: -creepy tone- Me want Malibu Barbiiiiiiie…

Ed: -jumps down- HEY! That's MY Malibu Barbie!

**OMAKE 8**

Winry: You came just in time to save my neck. –beam-

Ed: I was going for your panties actually, but never mind.

Winry: …!

**OMAKE 9**

Roy: I see that the search for the Kama Sutra hasn't been in your favor at all.

Ed: WHAT! HOW'D YOU KNOW THAT?

Roy: -points at Ed's pants-


	5. An Alchemist's Anguish

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N:** -COUGH- You guys are gonna love this one. Yes, it's the angsty chappie you've either been anticipating or aching not to see. But fret not. Because I installed something really CUTE for you guys, LOL! And I mean cute! You gotta love Nina! It seems I like her in both anime and manga! But she's cuter in the anime, hehe!

Btw, have I ever given warning for some indecent language here? No? Bleah, sorry. XD

Well, such usage of the "F" word and other colorful phrases might come up throughout the story. And just now, I was reminded why I rated this M. Hehe.

**Interlude**

"Winry, I think you're getting prettier everytime I see you." Colonel Mustang complimented her.

She stood there, stunned. "EH? No no, that's not true! I…uh…I never actually change, you see…"

The man couldn't help but laugh at Winry's modesty. "Well, aren't you getting cuter too when you look like that?"

_When is this molesting bastard ever gonna __**stop**_ Ed griped mentally.

Call it a sense of brotherly care, but listening to the Colonel flirt with Winry was getting on his nerves, even though he knew she wasn't a giggly idiot about it. That, and he just wanted to get off the train platform and get moving already. He wanted to get away from Barud.

Then Ed frowned.

_That's right. Barud._

He knew he'd touched Winry. Which meant…

Ed cast his gold eyes to the ruffian being dragged away by two officers. He grimaced.

…_No, it doesn't matter. Nobody takes the words of a notorious criminal unless he had something to defend. And, he'll probably be charged guilty without going to Court anyway._

Ed calmed down somewhat with the knowledge that Winry wouldn't have her cover blown. He sighed deeply to himself. It felt good to unwind every once in a while without getting so worked up over their activities. As much as he wanted to get his and Winry's bodies back, even a guy like him needed a chance to relax. And he wanted to use every opportunity he had to do just that.

But one more glimpse of her being tortured by their superior's teasing attitude…

Noting the growl coming from the bristling alchemist, Roy decided to lay off now. "Very well. You two come with me. We can talk more in my office."

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 5: An Alchemist's Anguish**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

Ed sat in the armchair with his head resting on his metal knuckles, looking pretty smug for somebody who just took on a group of hijackers.

"You owe me for this one, right Colonel?" he leered.

Roy leaned back on his own chair hands clasped, and he seemed to be trying not to let the professional smile slip in spite of the mood in his office. "…There's something disturbing about having to be in your debt…"

All he'd been expecting was a free favor from Fullmetal. Not a favor to be repaid. Well, he had it coming, he supposed. "I'll cave in. What do you want?"

"That's our Colonel. You're quick. Can you show us to a library or introduce us to an alchemist that has detailed info about biological transmutation around here?"

"Right _now_? Good grief, man. You're impatient."

Ed snapped. "We want to restore ourselves ASAP!"

"Ed, calm down!" Winry said from her seat next to him.

Mustang took an opportunity and smiled at her. "I'm so envious of Fullmetal to have such a pretty and patient girl like Winry to be with him always."

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS?" Ed roared. Briefly, he'd considered sending the desk flying into the air to follow his outburst.

_Why the fuck do I have to put up with this SHIT?_

Winry, at the Colonel's compliment, seemed almost happy to hear those words. If it didn't infuriate Ed, that is.

"Very well. Let's get to business." their superior stood and flicked through the files in the bookcase behind him. "It's been a while since we met. Let's chat over a cup of tea."

"And what would the fun be in drinking tea with a guy?" Ed remarked snidely.

"Hm, maybe…" the Colonel hummed to himself and nodded. "Ah. This is it."

He pulled out a folder and spread the papers out on the desk for the pair to see. "Artificial synthesis at the cost of two or more organisms of different genetic backgrounds. In short, there's a researcher of chimera transmutation living within the city." he pointed at the profile of a man with round, thin-framed glasses. "Shou Tucker, the Life-binding Alchemist."

Winry leaned over the picture. "Shou Tucker."

"So what projects did he take on?" Ed asked.

Mustang sat back on his chair. "A man who successfully transmuted a talking chimera and obtained a license to be a State Alchemist."

Both Ed and Winry gaped, but it was Ed who spoke. "A talking…! You mean it could talk like humans do?"

"That seems to be the case. I wasn't in charge at that time, so I didn't see the actual thing. I heard, though, that it could learn what people around it would say and speak." Looking back at his clipboard, Roy furrowed his dark brows. "However, it only said one thing: I want to die. As it said, it ate nothing and perished afterwards."

The teenagers fell silent.

**-sss-  
**

Later, they found themselves standing outside the Tucker residence. Or rather to put it, the mansion. Ed and Winry couldn't help but stare in awe.

"Man, this house is so big…" Ed marveled.

"I know…" Winry agreed, eyes wide as saucers. "Does Mr. Tucker really have such a big family?"

"No actually." Mustang answered for her. "He and his wife only had a single child between them."

He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

"Ed?"

He looked over to Winry, who smiled. "You and I are only children right? You to Auntie Trisha and me to my own parents."

"Yeah." he shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

Hands clasped behind her, she shifted her foot on the ground and beamed at him. "Do you think we make great siblings?"

Ed stared at her, lost for words. But even if he had something to say to that, she'd never get to hear it. Because just then, something landed right on top of Ed, taking both of them by surprise.

"GWAAAAHHHH!"

"ED!"

Then Winry stopped. The assailant was nothing more than a giant white dog. A happy one, might I add.

"…Eh?" she blinked. "…Ed, are you alright?"

"Mmmrr phnn."

"Hey! Alexander, stop that!"

She turned to see the people at the door, and her eyes fell on a little girl with long brown hair in two plaits and the man who she knew instantly as Shou Tucker.

"Wow, lots of guests, Daddy!" the girl cheered.

"Nina, don't do that. The dog's supposed to be tied up." scolded her father.

Winry bent down to pat Alexander on the head. "Nice boy. Come on now. Let Ed go."

The dog wagged his tail in appreciation of the pat but he refused to budge, apparently enjoying using Ed as a doggie cushion.

"Heeeeeeelp…" Ed managed to lift his face off the ground and groaned.

**-sss-**

"Please excuse me." Tucker apologized about his messy study. "Since my wife left, the house hasn't been very tidy. Please. Make yourselves at home."

The three took their seats, Winry deciding to sit on a pile of books near Ed.

"How do you do, Edward?" Tucker greeted him pleasantly. "I'm Shou Tucker, the Life-binding Alchemist."

"He's interested in biological transmutation and said that he'd like to examine your research." Mustang explained for him.

"Oh, I don't mind at all." Tucker replied, then his smile vanished. "But still, you know if you want somebody to lay their cards down, you should too, right? So why is Edward so interested in biological transmutation?"

The teenagers began to look uncomfortable.

"Ah, he—" The Colonel began.

"Colonel." Ed intervened. "Mr. Tucker does have a point."

Winry's forehead creased. "Ed…"

Without another word, Ed snapped the collar of his jacket off and revealed a sight to his astounded host.

"…My God…" Tucker murmured, staring at the metal arm. "So…this is what the Fullmetal Alchemist is about…"

In private, Ed began to explain their situation, which of course, had to include the events revolving around it. And after he was done, Tucker just nodded solemnly.

"I see. Your mother…" he mused. "It must have been painful."

Ed stayed quiet as Winry watched him with sad eyes.

"Since we've informed our superiors that he'd lost his limbs during the civil war, I'm asking you to not mention anything about the incident." Mustang told Tucker, who nodded again.

"Yes, I understand. I know it would be pointless for the military as well to give up a talented young man like him." Tucker stood up. "In that case…I'm not sure if this will be helpful, but let's take a look at my lab, shall we?"

They followed him through the house and entered through a set of double doors. And Winry made a small sound in her throat at what she saw: jars and cages of creatures she'd never seen before.

"Oh." was all Ed could say, looking at the rat-like thing in the jar closest to him.

"Oops." Tucker rubbed his head in embarrassment. "This is quite embarrassing. I'm told I hold authority over the creation of chimeras by quite a few people, but to be honest, I really can't say I'm all that great."

He led the three back into the hallway and through another set of double doors. "This is my file room."

Ed's jaw dropped at the sight that met his eyes once he entered. Nothing like bookshelves full of books to appease him and nurture his knowledge of alchemy.

"S-so many…!" Winry gaped, sweating a little yet impressed somewhat.

"Wooowww…!" Ed gushed like a 5-year old who got a toy firetruck he could drive for his birthday.

Tucker chuckled. "Feel free to browse as much you want. I'll be in the lab."

"Okay. I'll start from these shelves." he cupped his chin thoughtfully, deciding on which to pick.

"Then I guess I'll handle the ones over there." Winry piped up.

"I'm going back to work." Roy told them. "Someone will be sent to pick you up in the evening."

"Okay." Winry answered.

But Ed was already absorbed in the contents of the first book he had in his hands to listen. Gold eyes trained on the pages, he skimmed every line and paragraph with accurate speed.

"He's incredibly focused." Tucker commented. "That young man can't hear anyone around him anymore."

Winry giggled. "Yeah, that's Ed for you."

Mustang nodded in agreement. "Yes…enough to become a State Alchemist at that age. He's quite amazing."

"So he's the one, eh." Tucker mused to himself. "A genius."

**-sss-**

The grandfather clock struck four sometime later, rousing Ed from his concentration over the books. "Oh crap. I've been reading for too long."

Setting the book in his hands down, he went to look for Winry. "Winry! Winry!"

No answer.

"Weird. Where'd she go…?" Ed began to rise.

Then he heard movement behind him, and whirled around.

Up jumped the Alexander.

"GWAAAAAAAAA!"

Footsteps rounded the corner, and Winry's voice came. "Ed! Are you okay?"

"Don't go 'Are you okay' on me!" Ed puffed out from beneath the giant dog. "What were you doing if you weren't looking for any files?"

"Eh," Winry offered an uneasy smile, "Nina looked like she wanted to play."

Beside her holding her hand, Nina was smiling cheerfully.

"See?" Winry beamed at him.

"Don't be so easygoing!" Ed fumed, then he froze.

Winry was _holding hands_ with Nina.

"Winry…!" he gasped angrily, but she shushed him reassuringly.

"It's okay, Ed. She doesn't notice. Besides, she's only five so it's not a big deal."

"Geez…" he grumbled, struggling from underneath Alexander, who finally had the decency to get off him. But then, he started licking Ed's face like a loveable puppy.

"Alexander says he wants to play with Mister, too!" Nina giggled.

Winry thought it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen(either the dog or Ed), and giggled herself. "Aw, isn't that sweet Ed?"

Said alchemist's brow twitched, and he wiped his face with a handkerchief with as much calm as he could muster. "Oh. You sure got some guts to wanna play with me. They say that lions use up all their energy when they hunt down rabbits. So…"

"Woof?" Alexander tilted his head.

Without warning, Ed charged. "I, EDWARD ELRIC, AM GOING AFTER YOU WITH EVERYTHING I GOT, YOU DAMN MUTT!"

Barking, the dog sprinted off beginning the chase. Nina laughed with childlike innocence for them both. Winry stood there watching after the boy and the dog, a little amused. "What a kid…"

**-sss-**

Later, it was Lieutenant Jean Havoc who came to pick them both up, and to Ed's relief, Tucker gave them permission to come back the following day. And they were brought back to their dorm, which was separated into two rooms; one for Ed and the other for Winry.

She sighed and plopped on her own bed. "Nina's so cute, don't you think Ed?"

The door connecting their rooms was wide open so they could talk. Ed looked up from brushing his teeth before spitting the toothpaste into the bathroom sink. "I guess."

_But she could do better without that crazy dog…_ he sulked, reminding himself to get some sort of restrainment.

Winry gathered up her legs onto the bed and held them to her chest while resting her chin on her knees. A thoughtful expression crossed her face as she added, "…I've always wanted a sibling."

She'd said it so quietly that Ed almost didn't catch it, and he walked out of the bathroom to enter her room.

She looked up to see him leaning on the door frame with a questioning expression, and they locked eyes for a moment before she looked down at her knees with an embarrassed smile. "It's nothing really. I just think about what it would be like to have an older brother or sister. I'm sure it gets lonely just to be the only child. Nina's an only child, plays with Alexander a lot, and she seems virtually happy just with what she's got with her father. And yet, she seems sort of…lonely there in the mansion. So it must be hard."

Ed listened to her silently, before muttering, "Well…we're going to be there for a while, so she won't be so lonely."

Winry glanced to him and nodded. "You're right."

He scratched the back of his head. "Just as long as that dog stays away from me, I'll be just peachy. And…we can play a bit with Nina too."

She smiled at him fondly. "Ed's like an older brother."

Ed's face was blank for a moment before it broke into a smirk. "Huh."

They fell silent after that, until Ed decided to leave and walked back into his own room, leaving Winry to her own thoughts on other personal matters. And a thought crossed her mind suddenly, something that she so seldom pondered on with herself.

_Is Ed…like an older brother to me?_

**-sss-**

The next day, sitting in Tucker's library, Nina told the pair about her mother while leaning against a sleeping Alexander.

"Mommy left 2 years ago." she told them. "Daddy said she went back to her own family."

Winry set her book down, and glanced over at the little girl with empathic blue eyes. "I see. It must be lonely to be in a big house like this with just your father."

"No, I'm ok!" Nina chirped cutely. "Daddy's the best and I have Alexander too!"

The dog woofed happily in response. Then the girl's voice took on a sadder tone. "But…lately, it's been a little lonely because Daddy's been cooping himself up in his lab."

Winry lowered her gaze to her. So she was right. Nina really was lonely here. But before she could do or say something else, a book slammed shut and she turned to see Ed in his corner rubbing the back of his head. "Okay. I'm feeling stiff from reading all day."

"Why don't you go exercise for a bit, Ed? I'm sure you'll feel better." his friend suggested.

"Yeah." he agreed. "I'll do some exercising in the garden."

What she didn't expect though, was for Ed to round on Alexander with a sharp, "Hey mutt! I need exercise, so I'll play with you!"

The dog's face actually lit up like he understood Ed. Winry stared and blinked twice before a smile spread across her face. Ed never usually showed it, but he _did_ have a soft spot for kids. She turned to beam at the little girl. "Come on, Nina. Let's play."

The expression that crossed Nina's face equaled Winry's.

**-sss-**

Ed broke into a full-sprint away from Alexander. The big dog was trying to jump him again. Winry and Nina watched laughing from their spot on the grass. It was a warm afternoon, and perfect for picnicking.

Nina looked up to Winry and asked, "What are Mister and Sis looking for in Daddy's library by the way?"

Winry paused, before answering with a smile. "Ed and I are looking for a way to get back something we lost a long time ago."

"Really? What is it?"

Another pause. Winry didn't know what else to tell the little girl. "Well…it's something really important to us, but we can't tell anybody what it is, especially Nina. Sorry."

Nina, unlike most kids who pouted over a secret hidden from them, offered Winry a bright smile before saying, "You and Mister can find it, I know it! Once, I lost a coin in the house, and me and Alexander went looking for it. It was hard, but I finally found it under the sofa! So I know that anything lost you can get back, Sis!"

Winry felt so warmed up to the sweet little girl. It almost felt like having a little sister. Then Nina stood up.

"Say Sis!" she exclaimed. "Can we play a game?"

"Of course Nina! What is it?"

"Let's play House!"

Winry blinked. House? "Sure thing Nina. So who do I get to be?"

The little girl put a finger to her chin in thought. "Well, I'm playing the baby, and Alexander's the dog, so…" she beamed, "Sis gets to be my Mommy!"

Winry liked that. "Okay! But…who's the Daddy?"

Then she stopped wide-eyed, the answer already with her. It wasn't exactly hard to spot, considering there were only _three_ people in the Tucker's backyard.

"Mister!" Nina called out to Ed, who was galloping over to them with Alexander on his heels. "Me and Sis are gonna play a game!"

Ed, by now, was completely worn out by the overgrown dog, who didn't hesitate to dog-pile him.

"Mister, we want you to play with us! Please?"

He lifted his head to Nina, trying not to look so mean in spite of his situation. "…Yeah. Sure. What is it?"

"…House." Winry answered for him, sounding embarrassed for some reason.

It was Ed's turn to blink. "What?"

Nina nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah, yeah! And I'm the baby, Alexander's the dog, Sis is the Mommy…so you get to be the Daddy!" she cheered.

Ed stared, eyes bulging out of his sockets.

…_Okay, wait a minute. WHY am I bugging out about that? It's just a stupid game, for crying out loud! So what if I'm the Daddy and Winry's…_

Suddenly, Ed didn't feel obliged to finish that thought. Alexander woofed then stood up and walked over to Nina.

"Um…so how do we play?" he stammered, relieved at least that the dog finally showed mercy.

"You don't know how to play, Mister? It's easy! You just do like all Daddies do, and Mommy does what all Mommies do." Nina told him sweetly.

Winry grinned uneasily at Ed. "Well, shall we start?"

He looked everywhere but the two girls and the dog. "…Right."

Nina beamed. "Yay! So Daddy's at work, and Mommy's taking care of the house!"

Winry mimed folding clothes from the clothesline, then cooking, and sweeping the house, humming to herself.

"Okay! And then the baby and the dog are playing together, waiting for Daddy to come home." Nina happily put her arms around Alexander, whose tail wouldn't stop wagging. "And then finally, Daddy comes home, and Mommy goes to greet him before us!"

"Welcome home!" Winry greeted Ed with a cheerful wave.

"I'm…home." he answered half-enthusiastically, clearly embarrassed.

Nina blinked. "Oh. Mommy greets Daddy always with a kiss."

The innocently suggestive words of the child sent the pair into a blushing frenzy. Or rather, sent Ed into it. But Winry might have equaled his facial color if she could blush.

"Uh…r-really?" Winry squeaked, trying to hide her bewilderment. Should they really…no, _would_ they…?

Nina nodded vigorously. "Un! They always kiss when Daddy gets back! On the lips too!"

Now _that_ was too much for both alchemists to handle.

Suddenly, a red-faced Ed stood up and announced, "Uh…D-D-Daddy needs to run with the dog _before_ that! Mutt, come on!"

And with a joyous wag of his furry tail, Alexander leapt off after him, barking all the way across the grass. Nina blinked. "Eh? Okay."

Then she looked over at Winry, whose face was in her hands. "Mommy! Are you okay?"

"Uh…y-yeah! Just fine!" she assured the little girl, trying to work a smile to her face. "I guess I just feel dizzy is all!"

"Oh! I'll go ask Daddy for some medicine!" Nina stood up and ran back into the mansion.

"Nina, no wait! That's not necessary!"

But the little girl had already gone inside.

Winry sighed to herself, trying to relax. Imagine how a simple game could work up so much tension.

_I can't even imagine Ed as a father. Let alone a husband._

But she couldn't picture herself to be a wife to anyone either, especially a mother. Sisterly yes, but not motherly. Where exactly was she in Ed's family, other than the ward?

**-sss-**

An hour had gone by since Nina went in, who was followed minutes later by Alexander. But they hadn't come back yet. And the sky was getting dark. Ed took note of the storm clouds gathering overhead.

"It's gonna be raining today." he stated, eyes on the dark accumulations. "Winry, we better get inside."

Winry nodded. "Right."

They walked in.

"Mr. Tucker!" Ed called out from the hallway. "Thanks in advance for today!"

No reply.

Then he realized how empty the mansion seemed. He couldn't even hear Alexander barking.

"Where are they?" Winry wondered out loud.

"Don't know. Mr. Tucker?"

They explored the mansion, looking for any sign of the three. They peeked into the library, and inside the lab. No one.

"Weird." Ed muttered, crossing the hallway with Winry behind him. Then his eyes caught on an open door, with Mr. Tucker inside on one knee, kneeling next to something.

"Mr. Tucker?" Ed poked his head through the door, followed by a curious Winry.

The man looked up with a smile. "Oh, it's you two. Take a look at the finished product."

He rose and gestured to the creature sitting beside him. "This is a chimera that can learn human speech."

The creature looked up to the pair, its shaggy mane obscuring its bright glowing eyes.

Winry gasped audibly, and couldn't help but stare. This was a chimera?

Tucker bent back down to the creature's level. "Watch this. Ready? This person is Edward."

The chimera seemed to hesitate a little, before saying audibly, "Edward?"

The teenagers' eyes widened in astonishment.

"That's right, good job." Tucker patted its head.

"Good…job?" the creature continued to mimic.

"I can't believe it. It really is talking!" Ed exclaimed.

Tucker heaved a tired sigh. "Phew. I'm glad I made it in time for the evaluation too. My neck's saved. I don't have to worry about my research funding for a while."

"Congratulations, Mr. Tucker." Winry said to him.

Meanwhile, Ed was kneeling beside the chimera, which continued to say his name.

"Edward. Edward." it repeated. "Ed…ward. Edward."

Then its mouth seemed to curve up into what should be a smile as it looked at him.

"Mis…ter."

Ed stared.

_That…_

"By the way Mr. Tucker, where's Nina?" Winry was asking.

But before he could answer, Ed spoke up, his tone rough.

"Mr. Tucker. When was your research on talking chimeras approved of and when did you get your license?"

"That was two years ago, I believe." he answered, a hand cupping his chin.

"When did your wife leave?"

Winry found that question odd. "…Ed?"

"…Two years ago." was the quiet reply.

Ed held the chimera's head in his hand, not once looking up throughout the time he'd asked. "One more question, okay?"

He threw a look at the man over his shoulder, a look of wide-eyed fury. "Where did Nina and Alexander go?"

Winry, at that instant, realized something was wrong, but she wasn't grasping the idea.

…Or maybe she just didn't want to face the truth.

Tucker however, knew where this was going.

"I hate kids with good instincts like you." he replied in that quiet tone of his.

In an instant, a firm hand grasped his shirt and pushed him to the wall, to Winry's shock.

"ED!"

"SO THAT'S HOW IT WAS!" he roared, the ire evident in his blazing eyes. "YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU'RE A REAL BASTARD!"

And before he knew it, the words were out. "YOU USED YOUR OWN WIFE TWO YEARS AGO! AND THIS TIME, YOU USED YOUR OWN DAUGHTER AND DOG TO TRANSMUTE A CHIMERA!"

And it was finally driven home to Winry. Hard.

Something in her plastered body shattered, and she couldn't place it. She only knew the horror of their discovery, of Shou Tucker's terrible secret. Horrified blue eyes fell on the creature, whose gaze was now on the floor, as if ashamed to be alive.

And for the first time since they'd applied human transmutation on Ed's mother, Winry felt the overwhelming terror of the situation.

"NINA…!" she gasped, falling to her knees on the floor, fingers digging into her cheeks, unable to tear her eyes away. "ALEXANDER…!"

Ed wasn't finished yet, and he rattled Tucker. "Yeah! You can only do so much with animal experimentation!" he hollered, terror-stricken. "So it should be easy if you used humans!"

Tucker, in spite of how shaken he was by Ed's behavior, somehow managed to answer calmly, "Why are you so mad? Haven't the advances mankind has made come from the results of countless experiments on human beings, to use medical science as an example? As a scientist, you—"

"NO FUCKING WAY!" Ed retorted furiously. "Do you think you're going to be forgiven for doing something like this? For…toying with human lives!"

Something about what he said presented something amusing for the Life-binding Alchemist, and a laugh was heard from him. "Human lives?"

Another laugh. "Yes, human lives! Fullmetal Alchemist! Take a look at your limbs and your little friend!"

His words pierced through Ed's restraint on his growing rage and shattered it. Without warning, he pulled a metal fist back and caught Tucker directly beneath his jaw with a vicious punch.

The sound caught Winry's attention enough to distract her from Nina, and she looked up to see the trickle of blood running down Tucker's chin. He grinned manically as if it that blow was nothing to him.

"Aren't those the results of your so-called 'toying with human lives'?" he accused. "We're the same, you and I!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Ed roared in his face, more than ready for another punch.

"No I'm not! You saw a possibility in front of you and you just had to try it!"

"YOU'RE WRONG!" his breathing became ragged as his eyes grew wider with heated trepidation.

"And even if you knew it was banned, you couldn't stop yourself from trying! And you made the young lady suffer along with—"

It was all Tucker could say before the second blow got him again from beneath, Ed giving him no mercy in his fit of rage.

"YOU'RE WRONG! We alchemists…STUFF LIKE THIS…!" Ed snarled, his breath coming in heaving gasps as if his chest was being constricted by those cruel words.

_He's wrong…! HE'S WRONG!_

All they did…out of pure love…it was all. Ed was convinced of that. As a poor excuse for an alchemist and a cruel parent, Tucker had no right to criticize his intentions to save the life of his mother. And in his frenzy, that notion goaded Ed's errant resolve that the man had to be silenced.

"YOU…!" he growled, gasping for breath. "For you to tell me shit like that…!" he started to wheeze. "I…I…!"

He pulled back for another hit.

"ED! STOP!" Winry screamed, wrapping slender arms around his waist and trying to pull him away from the man, before lowering her voice to a softer, gentler tone as she dropped her head onto his shoulder.

"Ed, please don't." she begged softly. "If you keep hitting him, he'll die. And I don't want you to become a murderer…so…just let him go now…"

Every muscle on Ed's body shook, but after a few moments of silence, Winry's feeble plea made him give in and drop the wounded man to let him slide to the floor. And without a word, he turned wearily for the gaping doorway. Winry released him, watching with lowered eyes before ushering him gently outside. Somehow, Tucker still found enough energy in him to have the last words, as he smirked painfully and wiped the blood off his chin.

"You can't always get things done without soiling your hands…" he stated after them.

Winry froze at the doorway, back still turned to the man on the floor.

"Mr. Tucker." she said in a stiff voice, her hand trembling. "If you keep talking, I won't hesitate to hurt you too."

This seemed to pacify him, when he didn't say anything else.

Then, she turned slightly towards Nina, and unable to think of anything worth comforting to say or hear, she knelt beside the creature and stroked her head. She could almost see that little girl again, somewhere in those bright glowing eyes she could. And if only Winry had the freedom to shed tears, she would have.

"Nina." she whispered softly. "I'm…sorry. We can't restore you with what we know right now."

Her painted face contorted into an expression of pain and heartache, and she embraced Nina.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." she murmured miserably, stroking the mane.

Nina seemed almost unmindful of the words. With the eyes of an animal, she gazed back at Winry, and said slowly, "Mommy. Daddy. …Play."

**-sss-**

That night, Winry stood by the window of her bedroom with both elbows propped on the sill, looking downcast. After their confrontation with Tucker, the rest of the evening hadn't gone very smoothly. In fact, Ed was still outside in the pouring rain sitting on the front steps leading up to their dormitory, left alone to brood over the recent events. And perhaps, to reflect on Tucker's words.

Half of Winry wanted to go downstairs and drag him back inside before he caught a cold. But then, another part of her, the part where her thoughtfulness resided, told her not to bother a man when he was in a mood where he didn't want to be bothered by anyone. Especially her.

She remembered his mother telling her that once when Ed had gotten into a fight with one of the boys in town. They were only ten years old then…

"_Winry…" she'd said to the young girl. "I know you're worried about Ed. I am too. But when he's like that, it's clear that he wouldn't want to be disturbed. Let him be, and let him think things over on his own."_

"_But…what if he just really needs someone to be there for him?" Winry asked with round, eloquent blue eyes._

_Trisha smiled affectionately then._

"_In that case, you'll have to come forward and smile to warm him up inside."_

Winry turned away from the window and fell back onto her bed, the grief for an innocent child she became so attached to hanging over her like a plague.

"Nina…" she whispered the name, before curling up into a fetal position and making sobbing noises in place of the glistening tears that should have been there.

**-sss-**

The blue sky reflected the calm of the weather. And a young Ed made his way across the lush green grass towards a beautiful woman carrying a handful of tomatoes in her apron.

"Mom! Mom!" he called out excitedly. "Mom!"

She looked up and smiled. "What is it, Ed?"

"Hehe!" he laughed innocently, and held up a product of his work; a toy metal horse. "It's a present for you!"

"Oh, for me?" she laughed.

The little boy nodded his head. "Yep! I transmuted it!"

His mother held it up for inspection with mild amazement. "You did? That's Daddy's little boy! Thank you." she ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're really wonderful, Ed. To be able to make such a perfect object."

He grinned, proud to make his mother happy.

"But…"

He looked up.

And a drop of blood fell on his cheek.

"You couldn't make me right…"

**-sss-**

"UAAAAGHHHH!"

Ed fell back into reality gasping for breath, then his eyes widened in alarm realizing what his dream had been about. And he held back the bile rising in his throat as the image of his mother stood out vividly in his mind.

No sooner had he woken up, when the sound of something heavy falling down came from Winry's side, and within seconds, she was in his room, appearing distressed.

"Ed, what is it?" she asked.

Stunned by her, but unashamed to be caught, he tore his gaze and choked back on a sob as he sat in his bed, clutching his automail leg for support.

"It hurts…" he moaned.

Winry's panicked expression ebbed away and her features softened. "Ed…"

He didn't seem to notice her there anymore. He just sat there, rocking back and forth on his leg, as if trying to will away a horrible memory.

She hadn't seen him this way since…

Winry stood there by the doorway, suddenly helpless yet more than willing to help him in any way. Until, Trisha's words floated into her head.

"_In that case, you'll have to come forward and smile to warm him up inside."_

Winry hesitated. Was she allowed to do that now?

But another glance at Ed in the corner goaded her.

Cautiously but purposefully, she approached her most precious friend, who stayed oblivious to her actions. Then he felt the mattress sink a bit, and he raised his head to catch the outline of her oval face in the darkness as she scooted closer to him on the bed. And with a tentative hand, she reached out to touch his face. Almost wondrous despite her failure to feel the texture of his skin. Winry couldn't help but stare as Ed's anguished visage dissolved and was replaced by a calmness that soothed her as well.

And they sat there on Ed's bed, gold melting with azure as the turmoil in both their hearts began to settle and die away. Images of Nina, Tucker and Alexander faded into a memory. All that mattered right then and there was each other's presence, and the comfort they were finding in the other's eyes.

And for him, Winry turned the corners of her mouth up into a small but meaningful smile.

**End of Chapter 5**

**A/N:** -cough- Um…feedback please.


	6. The Right Hand of Destruction

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N:** Are we ready for more angst, peeps? XD;

Oh. On a thought, I'm wondering if any of you find Winry's personality just pretty much off, thus ruining the EdWin relationship. I'm sorry. :(

I'm hoping to give her more depth on why she's unlike the Winry we're so familiarized with. So here goes: one of the main reasons why she isn't so much like our resident automail junkie would simply be because she _wasn't_ raised by Pinako Rockbell, someone I've recognized as the influence of it all, and not just for the love of automail. Maybe Winry might have taken to it, _if_ she'd inherited Rockbell genes. It runs in the family afterall. Nevertheless, she came from a line of doctors(in anime, manga, and this revision itself). If she wasn't going to be an alchemist, then she'd put some practice on medicine rather than alchemy. On the other hand… XD

-cough- Anyway, I'm picking up only on what makes Winry Winry. And it's not the mechanic, no, that's just what makes her stand out as Winry Rockbell. If she wouldn't be a mechanic, I'd like to see her more as a nurse. Kudos to **TheCoolFreaks** for inspiring me with that image on her! Thus, what I'm trying to say is, Winry's personality as an honest, straightforward, kind and caring girl is what I'm utilizing, give her and Ed some chances on being more supportive of each other. You know, bring out her more, uh, nurturing side?

And recently, I've taken to making it seem that she's more influenced by Trisha Elric, giving her that kind of…er…sensitive touch to her traits. Which, I'm guessing, you're all ready to throw bombs at me for. –crouches behind the giant couch fort-

And I'm done. XD; Fear not. I'll try and keep her as OC as possible(with her inner personality, that is).

Enjoy this one.

**Interlude**

Ed groused and shifted sleepily in his bed, trying to get as comfortable as possible. He felt like he'd only been asleep for a good five minutes. He could almost feel that sunshine on his face. _Un_-pleasant.

_Dammit…before and during sunrise, it's still nighttime…__**not**__ morning._

And then he heard it: rapping at their door. And the first thing he wanted to yell was, "WAKING UP THE MAJOR AT DAWN SPELLS YOUR DOOM, PRIVATE!"

Oh. If only he wasn't still so drowsy.

"Mr. Elric?" called an officer from outside. "The Colonel wants to see you."

Ed's audible grunt confirmed that. But as soon as the officer rounded the corner, the grunt was followed by a profane curse that reached the other occupant's wall near his bedroom.

_Why does that bastard wanna ruin my life? It's like he was sent to make me as miserable as plankton with fixed-_

…Why was he complaining about this? He wasn't even insulted about his height. Not _yet_.

To top it off, his blanket was missing. Not that it was cold. It was autumn, but the temperature dropped below 20 degrees only on occasion. That probably didn't stop him from sleeping in his boxers, though.

He raised his head, and opening his eyes towards the window, realized it was still raining. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about sun in his face. Today wasn't a day for feeling light on the feet. Not after yesterday…

"…Ed, don't curse so loudly in the morning." Winry entered his room with a tired expression, fixing blue eyes on his supine form. "People are still asleep, you know."

He blinked groggily at her before replying with a frown. "…You don't sleep."

She blinked at those words, but her face stayed even. "I mean our neighbors. I know you hate getting morning calls, but maybe the Colonel has something important to tell us."

He sat up and planted his feet on the floor with a huff. "That guy's just abusing his authority."

Without looking at Winry's reaction, he trotted over to his closet and rummaged for some clothes. He was too busy looking for his jacket to realize that she was still at the doorway, staring at his bare back.

"…Ed?"

He turned fully to her, and was surprised to see her suddenly looking very forlorn. Clasping her hands together, she bowed her head.

"Nina…" Winry whispered, her voice quivering. "What's going to happen to her…?"

This brought back a fresh wave of disconcertion for Ed, and he scowled at her. "…Think she'll be taken away?"

Winry snapped her head up, alarmed. "…!"

Ed whipped away from her and turned back to the open closet to lean on it with both hands.

No other words were exchanged between them after that.

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 6: The Right Hand of Destruction**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

"Hey, Colonel Mustang. Give me a sec here."

A middle-aged man with flat, horn-rimmed glasses knelt on the floor for a closer inspection. "I came to pick up the living Mr. Tucker, but…"

He jabbed his thumb at the mangled body covered by a sheet with an irked expression. "Are you telling me to go back and put a corpse on trial? For crying out loud, we didn't come down here for an autopsy."

"Yes I know, we've made a mistake. " the Colonel slapped his forehead in agitation. "Just take a look in any case, Lt. Colonel Hughes."

On the floor, the remains of the two residents of Tucker Manor where obscured from public view, thankfully. It was the dirtiest display of murder they'd ever seen, and the other two victims, two guards situated outside the mansion, were no better off.

"So here we have the sort of guy that would experiment on his own daughter." Hughes lifted the sheet carefully. "Probably had the wrath of Heaven sent down on him."

In one move, the sheet was raised enough for them to see, and Hughes cringed with disgust. "Ew…just as I thought. So, the military police outside died the same way?"

"Yeah." Roy nodded, arms crossed. "It's as if they were ripped apart from the inside."

With a grunt, Hughes pushed himself up and wiped his hands on his handkerchief.

"What do you think, Major Armstrong?" he asked the broad-shouldered giant towering behind him, who nodded.

"Yes, there's no doubt about it. It's _him_."

**-sss-**

Back at headquarters, the two teenagers stood outside the Colonel's office, but neither made a move to enter. Ed looked disgruntled, Winry mirroring his mood.

And to their surprise, the door swung open, and the First Lt. stepped out to greet them.

"Oh, Edward. Winry." she acknowledged. "What are you two…?"

"I thought the Colonel wanted to see me." Ed answered flatly.

Hawkeye regarded them for a while before saying, "Oh. The Colonel isn't here."

This brought back Ed's foul mood as he griped, "Then what the hell did he call me out for?"

"…So he was going to tell you."

Winry stared. "Tell us, what?"

The Lt. was silent. And Ed found it disturbing.

"Miss Riza." Winry began, voice filled with anxiety. "About Nina…and Mr. Tucker. What's going to happen to them?"

Silence.

"Miss Riza, please tell us!" the younger girl pleaded.

Ed stared directly at their superior wordlessly, a frown working its way onto his face.

Hawkeye hesitated at first, but after ending a debate with herself, she answered, "In addition to having his license revoked, it was planned for Mr. Tucker to be put on trial at Central. However…"

She turned on her heel and retreated to the hallway. "The two of them died."

Both teenagers froze. And Ed's heart nearly stopped.

"Officially, they were killed." Riza finished, walking away from them.

Winry stood rooted to the spot not knowing what to do first, before she grabbed her head and shook it vigorously with a whimper. Ed was the only one to make a move as he lunged after the First Lieutenant's departing figure.

"Lieutenant!" he yelled furiously, feet hammering noisily on the floor. "Who was it? Who killed them?"

"I don't know." she answered, keeping her pace. "I'm heading off to the crime scene now."

"Take me too!"

"No." was the curt reply.

"WHY NOT?" Ed was beginning to lose his temper, regardless of courtesy.

At this point, Riza turned to look over her shoulder at the boy, and fixed him a stern but concerned look. "It's better if you didn't see."

Ed winced on the inside as she left. And he cursed under his breath. He didn't know what was going on, but this…this is…

Then his head snapped back up. "Winry!"

But looking back down the hallway where he'd left her standing, she was gone.

**-sss-**

"Scar?"

"We don't know who he is so we call him that. An elusive murderer of whom we have no knowledge of identity, weapons, or objectives." answered Armstrong. "The only information we have on him is that he seems to have a large scar on his forehead."

"Starting from this year, he took out five State Alchemists in Central, and ten throughout the nation." Hughes added.

"Yes, that rumor has spread here as well." Roy pondered.

Hughes pushed his glasses up. "Don't tell anyone this, but just five days ago, old man Grand was also killed."

This almost scared the Colonel out of his pants. "Brigadier General Grand, the Iron-blooded Alchemist?"

"You probably find it hard to believe, but this means there's a guy that dangerous lurking around the city." Hughes continued darkly. "I'm telling you this for your own good. Just increase the number of escorts around you. I'm asking you to do this as a friend. If he's going after well-known people, that would just leave you and Tucker, wouldn't it? Just be careful."

Roy grimaced. "This isn't good. Officer." he turned to the closest man. "Confirm if the Fullmetal Alchemist and his friend are still at the dorm. Immediately!"

"Colonel!"

He turned to his subordinate, the First Lieutenant.

"I met them at HQ. And they took the main road from there."

Roy cursed. "At a time like this! Bring out the cars! All those who can, head to the vicinity of the main road!"

**-sss-**

Winry sat beneath the city's clock, her head tucked in her arms as she hugged her knees. It was raining. But she could care less about getting wet. Even if the paint on her clayed body got washed away, she wouldn't care. She just wished for the ache inside her to go away, and almost hoped that the rain could wash away her sadness. It was too unbearable, to think about staying inside, knowing that Nina and her father were…gone. And what's worse, she couldn't cry about it. The irony of being a doll was that she couldn't express her sadness the way humans do. And it hurt her. What she'd promised herself when she and Ed embarked on their journey and left their hometown was to stay strong. And concentrate only on getting their bodies back. Now, she was just lost. Lost in the memories of a little girl and her dog. And her father, whom she believed cherished his daughter.

_How can the world be so cruel?_ she asked herself vaguely.

It wasn't fair. Life was cruel to even a small child like Nina. She never deserved to die. She was so young, and so important to her family, her friends…

Winry shut her eyes in pain. She wasn't going to forget this for a long time. It was like losing her parents all over again. Years with the Elrics had dulled that soreness in her heart, but she missed them all the same. Now, looking back, it was as if…she'd lost them again. And she couldn't do anything about both problems.

_Nothing…that Ed and I…could do about…_

Then, she remembered.

_Last night…_

The previous night had been of some significance to her. She remembered when she caught him after he yelled in his sleep, how she came close and…touched his cheek…and…how he stared…

Winry suddenly felt overwhelmed with embarrassment as she sat there with her head buried in her arms, and she would've been blushing beet red by then.

She didn't know exactly what was bothering Ed that time, but Winry could easily relate his feelings to that of his mother, Trisha. So maybe he was also comparing losing Nina to losing his mother. Maybe.

Somehow, it scared her to be reminded of how he looked; weak, fearful, ready to curl up on himself and…die…

"Ed…"

"Yeah?"

Winry lifted her head from her arms with a start to see him looming over her, and in an instant, his red coat fell over her head as he sat down next to her, looking detached and morose. He took up the same position she was in and bowed his head. She watched him with a mixture of wonder and curiosity, hands curled around his coat as it fell from her head onto her shoulders. She found it peculiar to feel that way at the moment. Probably because she'd just been picturing him from last night in her head, only to see him as of whom he was now: stout and distant from other people other than her. It was a peculiar image.

And then he spoke, quietly. "I spent most of the night thinking about what we believed alchemy is." he turned his head slightly in her direction. "Do you remember?"

Winry watched him silently, before nodding and answering with the same quiet tone. "Alchemy is the knowledge, analysis, and recreation of the laws and the currents that exist within substances."

"The world turns through these laws. Death is also part of those currents. Embrace the currents." he looked away. "That's what master told us constantly that it got annoying for me. I thought I understood it. But because I didn't understand…Mother was…"

A gentle sigh escaped his lips as the raindrops fell on his golden head. She watched him earnestly.

"And now," he continued, "I'm starting to think whether we could have done something about something we can't do anything about."

Winry blinked, realizing that he'd been thinking of the same thing.

"I'm an idiot. I haven't improved a bit since before." Ed sulked, glaring at the brick streets of Central, before bowing his head again to say, "I suppose you came out here for the same reason as me."

She gave a small start. "Wh-what do you mean…?"

"Coming outside, hoping that the rain could wash off some of this sadness…"

Her eyes softened, and she nodded slowly. "…Yes…"

"But for me, every drop's just making me depressed." he began to brood.

A momentary pause fell between them. Winry, somehow encouraged to bare what was really on her mind to him, spoke quietly. "Since I don't have a body, I can't feel this rain. It…hurts. Ed, I really want to get my body back. I want to be human again."

She scooted closer to him, and without thinking, rested her head on his bare left shoulder. He tensed at the movement, but made no move to edge away from her. Tightening her hold on his coat over her shoulders, Winry found solace quickly at their closeness, hoping to share a bit of the warmth that she couldn't reach out for.

"I want to go back." she whispered, not knowing whether she'd referred to their dorm or to her normal state.

Ed looked away, embarrassed by their position. "Yeah…"

"Mr. Edward!"

The pair looked up to see an officer running towards them in the rain.

"Mr. Edward Elric!" he called out and he reached them panting slightly. "Thank goodness you're alright! We've been looking for you!"

Ed rose to his feet, Winry following suit.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You are to return to the base at once. The truth is that there's been a serial killer in this…"

Winry paused, suddenly anxious. "A serial killer…?"

Ed opened his mouth to say something. And froze; a shadow fell over them from behind the officer.

"Edward Elric." came a gruff voice.

He eyed the tall dark-skinned man looming over them, dark glasses obscuring his eyes as his hidden gaze fell on Ed. And his soldier sense began to buzz at the base of his neck.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist!" came the sudden exclamation.

And in that instant, Ed knew the danger he was in.

"Ed…!" he heard Winry say worriedly from behind him.

The officer, alarmed by the man, removed his gun from the holster at his hip. "The man with the scar on his…!"

"STOP!" Ed yelled, a second too late.

In one move, the man planted his hand against the officer's face. And to both Ed and Winry's shock, initiated only what they knew as an alchemical reaction. The officer fell to the ground, face bleeding and in agony. He made his way wordlessly towards the pair in purposeful strides. Ed didn't even have time to register the blood dripping from his hand. Nothing was registering.

For the first time, Ed felt fear on the battlefield.

_I'm going to die!_ he realized.

At that instant, the clock overhead struck nine, and the "ding-dong" of the bells sounded like a requiem for him.

"Ed!" Winry's panic-stricken voice shook him out of his stupor. "We have to get out of here!"

He felt a tug on his automail arm, and he turned to see Winry trying to pull him away frantically. And all the while, his soldier sense never stopped buzzing.

Moving only on pure instinct, he grabbed Winry's arm. "WINRY! RUN AWAY!"

They dashed away into the street, ignoring every onlooker they passed. Winry still held Ed's coat, now folded in her other arm with Ed holding the other. Neither dared to look back to check whether the man was following them.

"Shit…what the hell was that?" Ed griped, his haughtiness returning. "Making enemies of people is something I do a lot…but that doesn't warrant _killing_ me!"

It was bothering Winry too. Nothing Ed did was remotely or even close to harmful. Bearing grudges against him was fine; damaging people's reputations(particularly the ones gone bad) was his trademark. But why did that man want to kill him so badly?

They turned into an alley, hoping to lose the man. Then Winry had an idea.

"Ed, wait!" she pulled herself to a halt along with Ed. Reaching into her jacket pocket, she whipped out a stick of chalk and dropped to the ground. He almost wanted to ask her what she was up to, but her idea came to him too as he watched her draw the circle.

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed as Winry formed a stone wall, barricading the way from which they came. "Now he can't follow us!"

No sooner had he said that though, when a small fissure burned its way through the wall, and an explosion occurred. Breaking Winry's entire wall down.

"SHIT!" Ed cursed.

The dark-skinned man stepped over the debris, advancing still.

"DEEEEEEHHHH!" Ed yelled out, he and Winry resuming the chase.

Unfazed, the man placed his right hand on the wall of the nearest building, and started a reaction that seemed to cause the structure to deteriorate. The cracks that formed loped after the pair. Ed looked up just in time to see the thin clefts run ahead of them, and he backtracked as he screeched to a halt.

"WINRY!" he grabbed her arm and pulled her back as the wall gave way and crumbled, rubble over rubble. Ed coughed a few times in the dust clouds that formed, but Winry squinted in the dust to see their way blocked by the wreckage.

"No…" she whispered in dismay.

Ed looked up too, and saw what she meant.

"…This is a joke, right…?" he muttered, held dumbstruck by the occurrence.

The rain continued to pour on their heads.

With a snarl, he rounded on the man behind them. "What the hell are you? Why are you going after us?"

"If there are creators, then there are also destroyers." was the simple answer he received.

"Destroyers…?" Winry echoed, confused and nervous.

Ed grimaced, knowing he wasn't going to get anything else from the man. Leaving him only with time to choose a weapon suitable for the fight.

"So you're telling us we have no choice…" he growled.

He clapped his hands together and grabbed a pipe. With just a yank, the pipe transmuted and became a sharp dagger. "Winry, make a shield."

Seeing that all possible means of escape had been severely cut off, Winry knew she had no choice but to follow Ed. She obeyed and drew another circle on the ground, using the pipes as well to make a big, round, sturdy shield for them both. She laid his folded coat to the side away from the fight.

The man regarded them and set his lips in a thin line. "You've got guts. The both of you."

And the fight began.

Ed was the first to lunge, Winry following after him shield in front. But they earned a surprise when the man darted between them.

"You're too slow!" he stated.

And without warning, he made a swipe at Winry, who reacted instantly to the attack and raised the shield in front of her. A hole gaped at the center of the shield where the man struck.

"Useless." he said. "It's a pity for a female to become an alchemist too."

He dodged a swing made by Ed with his dagger, and dashed for Winry.

"No mercy shall be granted on anyone working for the military, let alone a young lady like you."

"Winry!" Ed hollered, charging towards his opponent with a snarl.

Winry couldn't find the time to draw another circle, and she was forced to drop her shield when the man knocked it away with just his hand. In a bold attempt, Winry swung her leg up and tried to kick the side of his neck. But it didn't go far; he caught it.

And to their horror, he began the alchemical reaction.

"You'll never walk again."

Winry opened her mouth in a high-pitched scream as her entire right leg fell apart and she tumbled to the ground in a heap.

"WINRY! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" That was the last straw. Ed's grip on the dagger tightened till his knuckles were white.

The man, meanwhile, was staring with astonishment at the damage done to her. Where bloody entrails of bone and sinew should have been, chunks of plaster and soft clay lay on the ground beside the "wounded" girl. What was even more interesting to see was the core of the leg on which the smooth, white plaster was molded on: metal.

_This is…_

But he didn't have anymore time to observe; a furious Ed was lunging for him. Returning his focus on the fight, he parried Ed's attack and caught the arm with the dagger.

"I said you're too slow!" the man told him. And he leered at the boy and the arm in his grasp, and was able to fully identify. "Automail…I see. And the girl…she's not even human."

"Ed!" Winry called out from behind their enemy.

He growled under his breath. "It's unforgivable what you did to her…!"

Behind the dark glasses, his opponent's eyes flashed. "Unforgivable, you say…? You're a strange pair…"

"Haven't I wasted enough time thanks to you?" Ed snapped. "I'm not nice enough to play by your schedule!"

He pushed away from the man's slackened grip and transmuted the plate on his arm into a blade.

Meanwhile, Winry had pushed herself up to lean against the wall with much effort. Shaking visibly at the remains of her leg, she turned her head to Ed's direction and caught sight of the man before him. And fear gripped her.

"Ed, don't…" she moaned. "Run away…"

"You idiot!" he yelled back to her. "You think I can just leave you behind?"

The man straightened up. "So. By putting both of your hands together, you form a ring and use the cycled energy to transmute?"

Silent defiance was his answer. And Ed charged, arm out.

At the same time, the man raised his right arm. "Then…"

Swiftly, he moved forward as Ed did, and in a flash, Ed's arm was once again in his grip.

Winry gave a start from her position on the ground. "…!"

"The first thing to do," the man affirmed, "is to have this annoying arm…_destroyed_."

It all lasted in a heartbeat, and Ed's automail arm fell apart completely, to his deepest shock.

**End of Chapter 6**

**A/N:** O.O Woooww. It looks like I left a cliffhanger. But hey! Reviews might clear that up, if you please.

XD; Pretty please? With sugar and an Ed-plushie on top?


	7. After the Rain

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**A/N:** Sorry for the late update. Lagging behind on schoolwork takes a lot to recover.

Soon to come to a chapter near you…the kitty lover.

:3 Guess who.

Welp, enjoy watching them suffer it out in this one!

**Interlude**

Screws and metal cords flew and scattered to the pavement, Ed staring blankly into space as he dropped to his knees beside the remains of his automail arm, the shock overwhelming him. Everything small that held his arm together stayed intact. But the plates that made up its construction had completely disintegrated, not one atomic particle left behind that was a testimony to his arm's existence.

The man towered over Ed, fingers still curled for the effect of that moment. Winry, lost for words, gaped at the scene, blue eyes wide with realized terror.

"…ED!"

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 7: After the Rain**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the street for a moment before dying down, followed by a loud thunder clap. Three motionless figures waited, two of them awaiting the other's next move. The third one, desperate to act, was now clutching to a stick of chalk.

The dark-skinned man began to slowly advance on Ed's unmoving form on the ground, and Winry's impulses took over. Without hesitation, she dropped to her hands and knees(knee) and drew another alchemic circle on the cement.

_LEAVE HIM ALONE!_

Beside herself with anger, Winry planted her hands on the circle as she concentrated the energy towards their enemy and beneath his feet.

The electric-blue currents erupting from the ground caught his attention, and he moved to the left just in time to avoid the whip-like tentacles that emerged from Winry's circle and darted towards him in an attempt to ward him off. The transmutation caused Ed to look up from his position and grimace.

"Winry, don't!" he ordered.

"But Ed!" she protested in frustration.

"I'll have to take away your arms too." said the man slowly, now moving over to Winry who recoiled and backed up against the wall.

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" was Ed's furious outburst. "It's me you want, right? I'm the one you should be after, and no one else gets involved especially her!"

Winry's shoulders sagged visibly as her nerve wavered. "Ed…"

The man froze in his tracks, and a few moments went before he turned on the alchemist once more. "I will give you time to pray to God."

Ed held his gaze on his opponent, unyielding. Before dropping it to the wet pavement, bangs obscuring his eyes. "Sorry. I don't have a god to pray to."

The man regarded him silently as Ed continued. "I'm the only one you want to kill. Winry doesn't have anything to do with me."

"Ed…"

"Unless…you want to kill her too…?" he asked in a low voice.

The man answered evenly, "If there are obstacles, I will remove them. But for now, the only one I have business with is the Fullmetal Alchemist. Only you."

Ed was silent. And then to Winry's shock, he smiled noticeably. "Really? Then promise me…that you won't touch my friend."

"…!"

The serial killer nodded only once to affirm. "I will keep my word."

"What are you saying…?" Winry's voice was barely a whisper, then she grew frantic. "Ed, what are you doing? RUN!"

Disbelieving and desperate, she fell on her stomach and crawled over to the pair. Horrified when the man began to bend over her childhood friend.

"NO! STOP IT!" she cried out in fear, her pace quickening as she dragged herself over to them with only a leg and two arms to carry her, but they seemed so far away. "DON'T! ED!"

He didn't even seem to hear her. He kept his head down, prepared for death. A pose, to her horror, that was almost too similar to the one he'd taken the previous night.

_No…no…!_ she thought, panicking. _This…this can't be happening…!_

Slowly, the killer lifted the hand that destroyed more than one life the night before.

"WAIT! DON'T!" Winry sobbed, her nerve completely dissolved. "DON'T TOUCH HIM! DON'T KILL HIM! PLEASE!"

The destructive hand was now inches from that crown of golden hair, and an anguished cry escaped her.

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

A gunshot cut through Winry's pleading screams.

The man looked up, as did Ed, who ogled at the Colonel and his team of officials.

"That's as far as you go." he stated in a calm tone. It had been Roy Mustang to shoot in the air, thus interrupting them. Behind him stood the First and the Second Lieutenant. "That was a close call, Fullmetal."

For a moment, Ed stared at the unexpected arrival, before he came back to reality.

"Colonel! He—!"

"That man is a suspect for the serial murders of State Alchemists." Mustang explained. "But there's no doubt about it after witnessing this. Which means," he added through dark half-lidded eyes, "you're also behind the murders of Shou Tucker and his daughter."

For a moment, Ed felt his own heart jump to his tightened throat. _This guy…? This guy…killed Nina…?_

From his spot on the pavement, Ed rounded on the tall dark man with an angry snarl, his eyes ablaze. At that moment, he couldn't explain how he wanted to react to this bit of information, but he did know what he wanted to do right then: tear the killer apart with his bare hands.

Over on Winry's corner, she'd heard the Colonel. And felt her face go slack rather than stretch to a horrified expression like she wanted to.

What followed after that became a blur to them both. Or rather, to Winry. Leaning on the wall, she barely registered Mustang advancing on the enemy, only to be tripped by the First Lieutenant upon a narrow escape. Then, the Major Alex Armstrong stepped forward to intervene. He challenged the dark-skinned man(who was finally identified as Scar) to a fight that was just as challenging to the muscled man. And Armstrong, so caught in the moment, couldn't help but entertain Scar with his own alchemy. Something that everyone felt needn't be so stressed, as it turned out. All the same, Scar finally decided to save his energy for another day, and escaped to the underground.

And the commotion died down with his quick getaway. With the Colonel busy giving Lt. Colonel Hughes(who'd been in hiding) a piece of his mind, Ed found himself on his knees next to Winry's unmoving form. And for a moment, he thought she'd passed out.

"Winry!" he called to her.

She didn't answer. Winry's glass eyes, unfocused, continued to stare ahead. She didn't seem to hear or see anyone. Not even Ed, and somehow it made him panic.

"WINRY! WINRY!"

Then, she blinked. Slowly, her head rose to meet his anxious gaze, much to his relief. Which shifted to utter shock several moments later when she pounced on him angrily.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Winry yelled at him, clutching fistfuls of his shirt with her face inches from his own. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT KIND OF STUPID THING YOU JUST DID?"

Ed, caught between responding(something he was struggling with) and shutting his mouth, stared wide-eyed and didn't make much of an effort to pull away from Winry, her face contorted with the kind of fury he had a feeling matched his a while ago after hearing of Scar's deed.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" she was still yelling, ignoring the onlookers and focused only on Ed. "YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN, ED! YOU'RE NOT GOD! YOU CAN'T JUST SAY YOU'D RATHER BE KILLED THAN ME, OKAY? YOU _CAN'T_! HOW WOULD YOU GET US PUT BACK THE WAY WE ARE IF YOU DIE?"

At this point, Winry's threatening tones were quickly softening, and her voice began to sound more pained than angry. "Don't you ever do that again!…Don't…!"

She tried to look for other things to say to him, things that would knock some sense into her childhood friend. So that he'd…never…ever…think of doing that for her again. Because somewhere, somewhere in-between Scar's attempt to murder Ed and the military coming to their rescue, she'd come to a conclusion. And as scary and as, admittedly, somewhat silly…

Winry couldn't take seeing anything happen to her most precious friend.

If the Colonel hadn't come for them in time, Ed wouldn't have lived to see tomorrow.

And she would have been hurt.

A dry sob escaped her lips, her forehead resting on his left shoulder. Her grip on his shirt had loosened. Winry didn't realize she'd already stopped yelling moments ago. And Ed was still recovering from the shockwave.

He blinked a few times, checking if she still had more to say, before pulling himself away from her as Hawkeye draped her blue coat over his shoulders. Winry fell silent, and made no sign of protest when Ed moved away from her. She just sat there. Holding the leg that remained.

They'd both lost a part of them in the fight; he lost an arm and she lost a leg. There was some sort of irony in that situation, and she couldn't pinpoint what was exactly. But, she did know that in spite of the yelling, what she'd really been trying to tell him was…

"…I don't want you to die." she whispered with her head down, her words barely audible over the pouring rain.

But he heard it. He heard it as he wrapped his red coat securely around her body. She sounded pleading. And he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"Ah…we're all beat up." Ed finally had the chance to speak since Winry had yelled at him, and he sat on the ground beside her. She looked up when the coat fell on her shoulders, and her hands automatically reached up to take hold of the material.

Ed tilted his head back to feel the fat droplets pattering his face, and he sighed tiredly. "We're all beat up. There's no way we can suck this much."

Winry stared at her friend. And without warning, a chuckle escaped her. And it surprised him enough to ask, "What?"

Still laughing quietly, she shrugged a little and stared at the remains of her leg. "I don't know. I'm just…glad we're okay is all. We're not dead. We're alive. And I'm happy."

Ed chortled, getting it. "Okay. Well, you just took the words right out of my mouth."

A silence fell between them. But Winry still had one last thing to say. And she really wanted to say it. Just so to clarify what she had really wanted to say in place of her berating.

"I'm really glad you're okay. Ed." she whispered shyly.

"…Yeah."

**End of Chapter 7**

**A/N:** What you've recently read was the work of a restless author. I didn't want to get into the whole "Scar's-out-for-blood" scenario. Besides, we all get the point. R and R, fooz! –is trying to be hip- XD


	8. The Road Towards Hope

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Any lyrics I post with my chapters aren't mine. I borrow them strictly for…uh…advertising purposes.

**A/N: **-kicks a pebble down the street- Ed and Winry are so canon I might as well get them to profess their love for each other halfway in the story. JK

Time, time, time. XD But in the meantime, FLUFF!

On with the chappies!

**Interlude**

"The Ishvalans were a race in the East area who worshipped their God of Creation, Ishvala. But due to differences in religious values, there were frequent conflicts between our two countries. And thirteen years ago, when an officer shot an Ishvalan child by accident, the neutralism reached its breaking point and an enormous civil war erupted. Riot brought about riot, and before anyone knew it, the flames of the rebellion spread throughout all of the East area. An operation was ordered by the military brass after seven years of offensive and defensive warfare…

"To deploy the State Alchemists as well in the Annihilation Campaign. The plan was probably to test their utilities in battle. Many practitioners were dispatched as human weapons."

Mustang propped his elbows on his desk with a frown. "I was one of those practitioners. So it seems that man Scar, a survivor of Ishval, feels justified to take vengeance on every State Alchemist known in Amestris."

A prolonged silence followed. Ed sat on a nearby desk with Winry beside him. His forehead creased, he regarded the Colonel with a sharp gaze. And huffed loud enough for everyone else in the room to hear.

"That's bullshit." he grumbled. "There's no such thing as justice in taking vengeance on innocent people. He's only wrapping his hunger for revenge by acting like a 'messenger of God' and being all high and mighty about it."

"But someone who despises alchemy is using that same alchemy to get revenge." Hughes spoke up from his own seat. "And people who don't care how things get done are the most dangerous ones. And the _scariest_."

Mustang sighed quietly to himself and added, "We also can't worry about how things are done. We can't die yet. So the next time we meet, there won't be much time for talk. We'll take him out."

Everyone in the room, everyone who was a part of his team of subordinates, all silently agreed with their superior. No words were needed to be spoken, no gestures made to show their concurrence with Roy Mustang. Years of working under the Colonel strengthened their loyalty towards him. And he, their winning support.

Ed stared into space with a glare fixated on his features. He had a feeling that last time was definitely not the last time he'd ever see of Scar. And next time, he was going to be prepared.

Movement from across the room caught the others' attention as Hughes made a move to rise. "Anyhow, here ends this boring topic. So," he turned his attention to Ed and Winry, "what are you two kids going to do now?"

Winry's eyes fell instantly on her right leg. Or whatever remained of it. "Nub" was the closest she could come to calling it right now. She felt like such a china doll. A doll made of porcelain. Extremely fragile. Scar's alchemy broke her leg as if she was glass. The shocking display of Ed's automail arm falling apart in his hand wasn't the most comforting memory either.

"Yeah…" Ed answered, noticing her gaze. "I want to fix Winry, but I can't do that with just one arm."

At that instant, a bulky and muscled figure posed before them. Pink sparkles aloft.

"Shall I fix you, Miss Winry?" offered the enthusiastic Armstrong.

She sweated, blinking twice before answering with a hasty, "N-no thank you!"

Ed shook his head in disbelief. "I'm the only one who knows how Winry's soul is bound to her body. So first, I have to have my arm fixed."

"That's right…" Hawkeye realized, a hand to her chin in thought. "Since Edward can't use alchemy…"

And everyone pitched in.

"Just another kid with a rotten tongue."

"A bratty little midget."

"Worthless, worthless."

"…"

Ed couldn't believe it. "WINRY! DON'T TELL ME YOU AGREE WITH WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TOO!"

On any given day when she hadn't just been severed of her leg and wasn't extremely worried about her childhood friend(as in, _enough _to pick up what small bit of humility he might have in him), she would have backed Ed up.

Today wasn't any given day, and he(almost literally) deflated.

"I guess I have no choice." he sighed exasperatedly. "I'll have to go to my mechanic."

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 8: The Road Towards Hope**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

A tearful Armstrong stood before the shorter, irked alchemist. And without warning, wrapped him in a bear hug. And trust me when I say that there's no better way to label that hug as metaphorically speaking. In fact, Ed was taking it hard. Very hard.

"I've heard of you, Edward Elric!" the Major cried, tears streaming. "Your pure love that made you try to bring back your mother! And your mighty love that made you prepared to throw away your own life for the one you cherish most, carving the very essence of her nature within a body created only by you! I AM MOST MOVED!"

He advanced on Ed again, arms spread out for another bone-crushing hug. And was stopped by a foot to his face.

"Don't come near me…!"

Winry stood on the side. Apparently she heard Armstrong's pronounced(_pronounced_) suggestion of their relationship following up with the words "cherish most".

Why, it hadn't even advanced beyond sibling-best friend so why should she be disturbed by the bold implication? No, she wasn't disturbed. No. Not at all.

…Okay. Wait. "Cherish most"? Was she supposed to feel _this_ flattered?

The next few minutes were spent on Ed being lectured about allowing adults as escorts for them both. Something Winry had no objections to. But Armstrong's offer to take them, amounting more compared to everyone else's, was probably what was stopping him.

"Come on, Ed. They're right. We need to be escorted."

He rubbed the port connecting his automail arm to his body with unease. "So I'm fine with somebody other than the Major!"

Nobody raised their hands, to Ed's aggravation.

"It's decided!" Armstrong proclaimed, a gleam in his eyes as he clapped Ed's head with his large hand.

"DON'T DECIDE THINGS FOR ME!" he hollered, fist up.

The Major leaned down to Ed's level, eyes sparkling. "Children should listen to what adults say."

"Don't treat me like a kid!" Ed fumed, apoplectic. "Argh! Winry, you say something too!"

She shrugged. "I don't have any problems with this, Ed."

"YES YOU DO!"

"Why are you yelling at me?" Winry was annoyed now, clearly not in the mood to argue with just a leg to keep her standing. "Ed, I want to be fixed. You think I like being like this?"

"Just say you don't want the Major to be our escort!" he insisted.

"If I say that, we'll never get to leave…" she pointed out bluntly.

"I don't care!" he pulled her to the side by her right arm, and hissed. "I can make a run for it. I'll carry you to the train. I'll make a diversion then take 'em off our trail…!"

"Ed…!" she stared at him in disbelief.

Just then, a shadow hovered over them. Take two for the floating pink sparkles effect.

"Having a lovers' quarrel?" he implied with a proud smile, eyeing the way Ed held Winry's arm in his grasp.

Ed, flustered to the point he was ready to explode, exploded. He didn't know why, but something about what the Major said set him off like nuts.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LISTENING IN ON THIS?"

Armstrong pulled back with an understanding nod of his head. "Ah, I see. Forgive me for invading the young lovers' privacy."

Winry could have blushed bright red. If it had been anyone else, it wouldn't be severely, deeply, daftly obvious on her face about what she thought of their assumptions of her and Ed together. But the Major was just so…so…

…_honest_.

Ed meanwhile, was trying his best not to lose his head, when he was already on the verge to. Instead, he pinched his nose between two fingers and let out the heaviest sigh to gather as much calm as he could muster.

It wasn't like he had a choice anyway. Now that he thought about it, taking Winry and making a run for it was no way for him to escape, even with a diversion tactic. Armstrong's recent fight with Scar told him something: he wasn't as stupid as he held himself in public. He had a brain. And he alchemized rocks, with a touch of his artistic side. Therefore, he liked rocks. And art. And _showing off_.

And on top of that, he was a hundred and ten percent motivated when it came to taking responsibility for something he felt honored to do. _That_ made it worse.

So what else could Ed do to avoid chaos from ensuing, except…

"…Fine. The Major can be our escort." he mumbled quietly, completely settled down.

The large man looked so happy to hear those words that he advanced on Ed again, arms wide. "Such a decent and honorable young man well-deserved by a fine young lady!"

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY AND GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Edward Elric," Armstrong continued to speak, his words muffled by the boot to his face, "bring what you and Miss Winry need quickly. Did you bring a handkerchief?"

"I told you not to treat me like a kid!"

There's never a moment of peace when the two are at HQ.

**-sss-**

Moments later, they were in Ed and Winry's dorm packing their things. Ed sat on his bed, suitcase at his feet grumbling to himself about nosey muscled men butting in on his business. The Major had told them he was going to come pick them up after he went to fetch "something of great necessity for their journey". Ed could hardly wait.

"Winry? Aren't you done yet?" he complained from his side.

Her blonde head poked through the open door, frowning with a slight pout. "Ed, I wish you'd relax. Besides, we can't leave without Major Armstrong so we have to wait."

"Well I can't wait any longer!"

How grateful was she to be influenced by Aunt Trisha's calm and patient conduct?

"Can you not be a baby about this, Ed?" she chided.

The alchemist shot her a sideways glance before opening his big mouth again to say, "This might be a chance for us to hit the road before he comes back."

"IS THAT SO?"

The pair jumped simultaneously at Armstrong's element-of-surprise. He was at the entrance, literally sparkling as always. And all that they could see of the tall broad figure, waist up, was everything else except his head.

"I would not have thought you so insightful, Edward Elric!" he boomed excitedly from the top of the doorway. "Perhaps we should have a test of subterfuge before we leave? Surely at this time of crisis, it is important to put more discretion in our movements?"

Said Elric grumbled some more before getting up from the floor where he fell after getting startled by Armstrong. "Forget it. Let's just go. What took you so long, Major?"

"I am glad you asked." The Major walked into their room(ducking beneath the doorway) carrying what looked like a long wooden crate.

"What's that?" Ed asked, arching an eyebrow. Winry had gone back into her room to resume packing, narrowly missing seeing their escort's cargo.

"This, Edward Elric, is what we need for our trip." Armstrong answered proudly, crouching on the floor so that he wouldn't hit his head on the ceiling.

He shrugged a little. "Okay, but what's it for exactly?"

"It's for Miss Winry."

Ed gave Armstrong a look of genuine confusion. "Huh? What would Winry wanna do with a box?"

"What box?" she emerged from her room, suitcase in tow and hopping to keep her balance.

"I believe this is just her size." the man mused with a finger to his protruding chin. "It will save money and make our travel fees cheaper this way."

A prolonged silence. Winry blinked, not getting it. But Ed stared at the Major like he'd just grown a second head.

"…Say…what…?"

He wasn't suggesting what Ed _assumed_ he was suggesting, was he…? Because if it was…

It was Armstrong's turn to be a little confused now, but he explained. "I am saying that Miss Winry will fit nicely in there, and it is easier since this way, no one would think to stare at her and—"

That did it.

"Are you saying you want to put Winry's body…_in there_?" he grinded his teeth. "Like a corpse?"

What the hell? Did that overbearing giant think for one second that he could pass Winry off as a dead person?

Two pairs of eyes looked at the alchemist. He was growling, deep in his throat. And he looked like he was going to pop a vessel or two, or worse than that. And Winry knew, with an unsuppressed shiver, where this was going: to an ugly, sad little place where all of Ed's adversaries went and suffered to his maniacal glee.

Speaking for herself, Winry didn't like the idea of spending the entire train ride in a wooden crate that was supposed to be her makeshift sarcophagus. Aw, crap. She didn't even like the idea of playing dead. And now that Ed looked like he was on the brink of a rampage, maybe voicing her opinion would be the best thing to do.

"U-um, Major?" she stammered. "I-I don't think I'm comfortable with the idea of being in there, and pretending to be…dead."

The man was taken aback by her words. And seconds after to their surprise, he laughed.

"Miss Winry, I'm afraid your notions are not what you believe are true!" he explained in-between chortles. "You are not to be treated as a dead body."

Ed stopped being teed off long enough to stare at the Major, still confused. "Then why did you…?"

"She will have to pretend she's a broken mannequin."

Cricket chirp.

"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Ed roared, completely losing it.

**-sss-**

Ed never stopped seething throughout the entire train ride. With Armstrong sitting next to him and forbidding him from moving too much, and with Winry somewhere on the train in a stupid wooden box pretending to be a broken inanimate doll, he was having the worst day ever, and Scar's assault started it. Even that bastard Colonel had the balls to tell him not to die within his district indirectly through Lt. Colonel Hughes.

Well, at least they were finally on their way home.

Home…

He heard the Major clear his throat beside him and said, "This will be the first time I will meet an automail mechanic."

Ed sighed, the changing scenery calming his nerves. "There's two of them, actually. To be more accurate, they're sort of surgeons, prosthetic harnessers and automail tuners. The grandkid's an old friend, so they'll make it cheap and do a good job."

The Major nodded his head in understanding. "I see. So what sort of place is this Resembool?"

"It's an amazing village." Ed answered, shrugging. "Not a lot of things there. Because of the civil war, stuff just doesn't happen there anymore. If the army had done a better job, there might have been more stuff going on down there."

"…I don't like the sound of that." muttered the Major darkly.

Ed gave him a look. "Want me to go on? Anyway, it's a really quiet place. Not a lot of excitement, but it has a lot of things that cities are missing. Resembool, our hometown."

And he sighed again, leaning out the window with a slight smile. He didn't want to admit it, but a part of him had wanted to see Resembool again. It made him wonder how everyone was doing, and if they were still alright. As quiet as it was, there was never a dull moment in the country.

Which brought something else to mind.

"That reminds me." Ed looked to Armstrong with sternness. "You did put Winry on this train, didn't you?"

"Hohoho." Armstrong chirruped, sparkling. "Indeed she is here."

**-sss-**

"Baa!"

"Baa!"

Winry, arms and leg strapped to the inside of the closed crate to secure her, blinked. Her blue eyes were wide, wondering _where on earth_ the Major put her exactly inside the train. He'd promised her that she would be someplace lively. And judging from the bleating coming from outside her crate though, it was indeed a lively crowd.

_Don't tell me…! Those can't be sheep I'm hearing! Eek!_

**-sss-**

"I thought it would be lonely to be by herself." Armstrong put in simply.

Ed felt like losing his spleen listening to this. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK WINRY WAS?"

To add up to his aggravation, the Major chuckled. "Why are you not happy? It is large, cheap but lively. Do those not qualify as proper accommodations for a young lady?"

The short alchemist never felt like spazzing out to the point he'd burst his entire life. "STOP SCREWING AROUND! JUST WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD, YOU…YOU…!"

Ed was shaking from head to toe with fury, caught between releasing a colorful string of words that he'd been longing to get off his chest since they'd left Central and trying not to put his rank in jeopardy by verbally assaulting a fellow official. Meanwhile, Armstrong looked a little hurt and tried again.

"Edward Elric, I did not mean for you to take it so hard." he explained a little more gently. "I only wished for Miss Winry's safety, and to protect hers and your secret without committing an offense against your persons. Thus, your life and your life partner's life are safe in my hands, and they will not slip from me unless I perish on this mission for your recovery."

Ed sat, breath returning and lost for words. He knew the Major could be a pain. And it made him wonder why he tolerated the emotional man in the first place. It was one of these moments that he'd remind himself why. Ed sighed. What could he do with an honest, honorable man like Alex Armstrong?

So he shrugged his shoulders in surrender. "Okay, okay. I get it. You'll protect me and Winry till the very end."

The Major nodded once firmly. "Yes, quite right. Indeed, I will. Your lives are safe in my hands, Edward Elric."

"Yeah…"

A silence followed after that, and no one would have thought that Ed was screaming his head off moments before. So the peace that followed was almost unnatural.

But then, unnatural could be so natural.

When there's a relapse.

"…Did you just say my LIFE PARTNER?"

Armstrong turned his head to look down at the Fullmetal Alchemist boiling all over again, and now it was just getting silly.

"Pardon?" he blinked, genuinely puzzled.

Ed actually hopped up and down on his seat. "You called Winry my life partner! What the hell did you mean by 'life partner'? Can you just not stick an image of us like that in your head for _once_?"

Everyone in the train car was looking at them now. So odd to look at: a little boy and a giant. Whoa. Has anyone seen a movie like that before?

The Major gave Ed a strange look. "Why, Edward Elric. You do not think of her that way sometimes?"

"What do you mean _sometimes_? There's hardly ANYTHING to think of Winry! She's just my childhood friend! I mean…" Ed made a sound of frustration in his throat and scratched his head roughly. Now he didn't know where to begin with this. But if he wanted to clear this with the Major and get closure, he was going to just…let it go.

He dropped his voice and his head into his hand, quieting down and he sighed. "Look. Winry and I...we're inseparable. We hardly ever were as kids. But that doesn't mean we're more than that. We're friends and that's it! She's what's left of my family and I'm all she's got, so it's only right to look out for her like she's my sister and all." he raised his head to the Major. "What's wrong with getting that close to her? So just because I'm risking my life making her a body, it doesn't mean my feelings for her are…more than that. I just wanted to keep her image...here."

Armstrong regarded the teenage boy beside him with understanding, before replying, "I see. Your behavior a few hours ago made me assume so much more. Truly it makes one contemplate and assume the strength of your ties with Miss Winry. But if your words mean well with your thoughts, then I will no longer bother you with the topic. You two just seemed so, _sentimental_ back in the eastern part of the city."

Silence. A sigh from Edward. Silence once more.

Then Ed's eyes popped out of its sockets, realizing what the Major just said. And when he spoke again, he actually squeaked.

"W-w-wait. You...y-y-y-you didn't see anything! NO! You didn't _hear_ anything! Winry was just…she was…!"

And he realized what he'd let spill.

At the back of his head, Ed saw Winry's crying face as plain as day, sobbing to him and begging him not to die for her.

And he reddened.

_Oh…my…GOD!_

It was too late. Armstrong saw right through him, and he sparkled with unsuppressed glee. And Ed really wanted to kill himself for his self-insecurity.

"Ohh, young love!" the Major mused, feeling the love. "The clarity and the joy of those first few heartstring tugs!"

It was too much for a fifteen-year old boy to handle. This trip was just getting better and better by the minute. And every minute he was spending with Alex Armstrong beside him was eating away at his insides.

_He'd better not bring this up with Winry…! Or I'm gonna start alchemizing STUFF!_

**End of Chapter 8**

**A/N: **And they met Marcoh and got clues to the Philosopher Stone, period. Lemme know if this is getting boring with me cutting parts out, AND if I'm laying it on thick too much. Ta-ta! XD


	9. The House of the Waiting Family, part 1

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Any lyrics I post with my chapters aren't mine. I borrow them strictly for…uh…advertising purposes.

**A/N:** -pokes head out of the writer's burrow- Je regrette pour mon retard, mes amies! ;.;

By the way, Al-lovers, do not hate me for taking his suit-of-armor look away. I mean, if you really dig him for being a metal man and all. XD;

Just tell me you want him as a human, a kitty-lover, and think that there's nothing wrong about him being NOT involved with alchemy.

**Interlude**

Ed yawned and stepped off the train to stretch. "Finally. We're here."

They were finally in Resembool, where he and Winry grew up, and nothing seemed to have changed six months prior to when they left. Even that dry grassy scent swept over him like a nostalgic song. It was great to be back, even though this _was _the place where the cows grazed…

He sighed.

But he wasn't bothered by anything. Nope, not after what he and Winry just found out. It was the reason why Ed was in such a good mood. Who would have thought that his and Winry's answer to their problem would be two towns away from their hometown? Dr. Marcoh's notes definitely won't go to waste with him. Now all he needed was to have his arm fixed, and go to the library at Central. _Then_ he could finally get down to some serious business. He grinned, staring off into space with his hands on his hips. He could almost feel his own arm back where it used to be…

_One small step for us, one giant leap for Edward Elric!_

"Ed!"

He turned to see Armstrong with the luggage and over his shoulder, the _excess_ luggage.

"Ed!" came Winry's muffled voice through the crate again, startling all the passersby.

He slapped his forehead.

"Winry, shut up!" Ed hissed to the crate. "You're supposed to be…not talking!"

"Ed, I want out! Now!" she demanded. Apparently, she didn't have too much fun with her fluffy company. "Do you know how dark it is in here? And on top of that, I smell like the sheep!"

"Not _my_ fault!" he defended, throwing the Major an accusing glare.

"Come now, you two!" he boomed, undeterred by the arguing pair. "We must make haste for the road and continue our journey!"

Hefting luggage in one hand and with Winry's crate over his shoulder on the other, he strode in the direction of the exit, and paused at the gateway.

"…Hmmm…"

Ed gave him a long look from behind. "You don't know where to go…"

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 9: The House of the Waiting Family**

_Let's get yourself  
Sound off your spirit to its limit  
Try again  
Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
Scream till your body withers  
Change your way  
To the future,  
Which changes even more than the past_

"All set!" declared a tiny old woman kneeling on the floor beside a customer.

He rubbed the kneecap of his prosthetic leg, bound together with leather. "Oh, this feels nice. As good a job as I expected from Dr. Pinako."

"So how about it? You up to moving to automail?" she raised her brows.

"Wha?" the man laughed uneasily as he put his coat and hat back on. "You're joking, right? It might be handy, but isn't the post-surgery pain and rehabilitation process difficult?"

"You're pretty scared for someone your age." Pinako told him evenly. "There was this punk kid who got a right arm and left leg of automail."

He did a double take, but waved it off just as quickly as he'd started. "You don't say. I don't have that sort of courage though. Goodbye."

The man left and headed back home downhill. The old woman sighed to herself as an afternoon breeze blew past the house. Content with the peace, she inserted her favorite wooden pipe into her mouth and lit it, taking the time to enjoy the tranquility of the weather. On the dry green grass lay the family dog, its fur of black and white. And it napped with its head resting on its left foreleg. Made of metal.

Suddenly, its head came up, sensing something(or rather someone) coming up the road. And it began to bark, catching Pinako's attention.

"Hm, what's wrong, Den?"

Two figures appeared on the horizon. One big, the other…

And the old woman grinned, her pipe between her teeth. She knew exactly who _that_ one was.

"Oh, so they've come." she lifted her head towards the house. "Al! Alphonse! We've got company!"

**-sss-**

"Hehe." Ed chortled to himself, imagining the looks on their faces once they arrive.

"I guess it's been a while, huh?" Winry's muffled voice came from the crate again as they walked up the dirt road.

Ed's boots kicked up dust like they always used to, his suitcase over one shoulder. "Yeah…and nothing much has changed around here either."

Armstrong inhaled, and sighed blissfully. "Mmm…clean air. Very good for the lungs."

Everywhere, nothing but rolling hills of soft green grass that seemed to stretch on for miles round. And the clear blue sky accentuated that country feel. It all felt great. With the wind blowing in their faces, Ed and the Major set off for the little yellow house that stood on that lone hill up ahead. And even from this distance, he could make out the little old woman standing there on the grass, supposedly with a lit wooden pipe in her mouth. Pince-nez spectacles gleaming in the afternoon sunlight with eagerness for their most favored customer.

Ed couldn't help but smirk at the familiarity of the situation.

And as predicted, something shorter than the old woman bounded down the road, and the black-and-white dog came to greet them with a wag of its tail, paws hitting the ground with a strange rhythm as it approached: click-clack, click-clack.

The alchemist grinned, coat flowing in the wind. "Hey, Den."

They finally reached the house, where their surrogate family stood waiting.

"Hey, Granny Pinako." Ed greeted, showing his teeth. "We need your help again."

They took several moments for introductions, and the old woman shook hands with the Major. "Nice to meet you. Oh!" she suddenly realized, sizing Armstrong up. "Ed certainly got smaller."

"I DIDN'T GET SMALLER, YOU MICRO-MINI HAG!" he roared on reflex.

Pinako threw him a dirty look before taking something else in, and she furrowed her brows worriedly. "Wait. Where's Winry?"

"Hi, Granny." the voice coming from the crate over Armstrong's shoulders was the old woman's answer, and her pipe nearly fell from her gaping mouth.

"Good grief! What's she doing in there?"

Ed put up a hand as a signal that he'd explain later.

"ED!"

He froze, and craned his neck to look behind him. Up on the balcony of the Rockbell home, a boy a year younger than him and Winry stood with his hands on his hips, glaring slightly from that height down at the sure-to-meet-his-doom alchemist. He was clad in a blue jumpsuit, complete with a red cap he was wearing backwards. His short, brown hair swayed in the afternoon breeze.

"You said you'd call before dropping in!" the boy called, friendly moss-green eyes fixed on the rest of the company. "I should take a wrench to you for breaking that promise!"

Ed cringed visibly.

"No, not that…" he mumbled to himself, praying for none.

"Hi, Al!"

Al's eyes popped out of its sockets looking at the sisterly figure he'd grown up with, standing in the grass, clad in that skirt-blouse-top ensemble. With just one leg.

His reaction after seeing that? Surprised. His reaction before? Shocked, when she came straight out of the wooden crate Armstrong had over his shoulders the entire time like a newly wound up toy. She was holding onto Ed's left arm for support, beaming up at him.

"Hey, look who got taller! You might have beaten Ed to it!" Winry joked cheerfully.

The beaten shrimp fumed. "We'll see about that!"

Al stared for a while, before breaking into joyous laughter. He knew he was going to be happy to see his "older siblings" again.

"Ahaha! Welcome home, guys!" he shouted happily from the balcony.

**-sss-**

"Holy _crap_, Ed." Al muttered, breathlessly staring at the automail arm's designated port, empty and holding nothing. "What have you been doing with my automail?"

Said alchemist shrugged, sipping through a mug while he sat on the sofa cross-legged without his coat and jacket. "Sorry. It got busted up."

Sitting in the living room, Winry finally had a chance to be out of the box. She'd been mad earlier when Ed and the Major left her with the luggage while they went to look for Dr. Marcoh. She was glad to be free again, walking around with a crutch that Pinako'd given her to help. She shifted it to the other side before moving to sit closer to Ed. Armstrong was out back chopping up firewood. The old woman had gone to find the measuring tape, leaving the three friends to talk among themselves.

"It's a long story, Al." Winry helped, trying to smile. _A not-to-be-taken-seriously story is what we need now though…_

Frankly, they were thinking on the same level.

Al just rubbed his eyes with his wrist, brushing the cap off his head to scratch his scalp. "Seriously now. Just how were you using that one-of-a-kind arm I worked three straight sleepless nights for?"

Ed didn't have a word to say at first. For a moment, he felt sorry for Al. He knew he worked hard, and put his mind and skill hard into his automail's maintenance. If there was anything other than milk that Ed hated, it was getting, receiving help from people who weren't in any way directly involved with them and their little "fiasco". He didn't know it, but Ed was just really considerate sometimes.

Still, he couldn't escape the inevitable when he simply said, "Got totally smashed into little pieces."

The mechanic looked ready to die. Or kill.

"I can't believe you! Just for that, I'm charging _double_ the expenses!"

Ed nearly coughed into his mug in shock. "What? Aw come on, Al! I didn't mean to break it, seriously!"

Randomly, an image of the greedy, revenue-hungry boss from the coal mine floated into Winry's mind.

"Seriously? Seriously!" Al ranted/whined, wrench waving dangerously in the air. "I haven't slept because of that arm! All because you wanted thicker plates! I don't know what on earth you two do, but if you keep doing this, I'm gonna quit!"

"You don't mean that, do you Al?" Winry asked worriedly. Would he really? Al gave up easily sometimes.

Something about the look she gave Al made him unsettled. Just a bit. No, he hadn't meant it.

"Besides, even if Ed's pretty…impulsive," Winry struggled, smiling nervously, "he's really trying to take good care of his automail. So go easy on him, huh?"

Said alchemist's brow twitched at the word "impulsive". That didn't sound very helpful at all.

But she convinced the young mechanic all the same, and Al sighed before dropping to the wooden floor to sit cross-legged in front of them. Readjusting his cap, he fixed his gaze on the pair, training his eyes on Ed's armless port before drifting over to Winry, and where her right leg used to be. He could see the metal core poking beneath that layer of plaster and clay; half her thigh was all there was. And he creased his brows with worry. What on earth _are _they doing?

"So…" he began anxiously, "what happened? What happened to Winry's leg?"

They exchanged quick glances before saying simultaneously, "We were both reckless."

To Al's dismay, and he slapped his forehead.

"I don't believe that at all!" he cried. "Come on, you two! Just say it! You got into a big fight, right? Is that why you're both beaten up?"

Another quick exchange. Now that they thought of it, a "big fight" didn't sound all that harmful(or revealing for that matter), especially with the way their "little brother" worded it.

"…Yes!" they answered in unison.

Al gave them a queer look. "…Guys, the chorus is…really scaring me now."

**-sss-**

"So, you want to go to Central as soon as possible to get the files on the Philosopher's Stone?"

Ed nodded his answer. "Yeah, I want this done pronto."

Pinako propped his feet on a cushioned footrest to inspect the length, and she raised a short, thin eyebrow. "Right, it's not just the arm. Your leg's going to need some adjusting."

Winry couldn't help but stare at the difference between Ed's automail leg and his real one. That definitely meant he was well on his way to becoming taller. Taller than her, she hoped secretly.

Ed followed her gaze and smirked. "Hah! What did I tell you, Winry? I got taller myself!"

She smiled, giving him a pointed look. "But that's a pretty _small_ achievement, don't you think?"

Her words got the expected response, and he fumed.

"It proves I won't be called shrimp for long! And once I get there, you're gonna have to look _up_ to me!"

_I already do that, actually…_ Winry thought to herself sheepishly.

And Al, of course, had to get a word in himself. "Besides, last time we measured you, you were only at –bleep- centimeters, right?"

Cricket chirp.

It only took Pinako pushing Ed's legs down to keep him from lunging at her grandson, his remaining arm flailing madly in the air, a colorful string of curses spilling from his mouth. Some of it actually made the other two teenagers flush. Or rather, one did. The other just staaaaaaared.

"The leg's fine because we still have the base." Pinako stated, tapping his kneecap with her pipe. "But we'll have to start from scratch with the arm."

Ed frowned. "Oh. So that would take around a week, then."

Small eyes turned to the ceiling while drawing from her pipe. After a few moments of contemplation, Pinako returned her gaze to him with a crafty smile.

"Don't underestimate me. It'll be three days."

The boy smiled broadly. Trust Pinako Rockbell to be top-notch.

Putting their work gloves on, Pinako and Al set to their tasks. The old woman, with a flick of the wrist, removed Ed's leg and handed it to Al, replacing it with another one simply meant for training.

"Anyway," Pinako went on, "just put up with using this spare for three days."

"Yeah." Ed nodded, getting up from the sofa to adjust himself to the leg. Stiffly, he used a nearby cabinet to maintain his balance.

"How is it?" Winry asked.

"It's pretty hard to walk with a leg I'm not used to." he answered.

Al fixed his hat on his head again, Ed's leg over his left shoulder as he counted from his fingers.

"Let's see. After carving, there's assembling, adjusting, connecting and finishing…" he mumbled under his breath. "I'll be up all night then."

Winry heard him, and smiled anyway. "Thanks for the help, Al."

He turned, returning it just as happily. "Well, you guys are pretty busy this time, so I think I should do my share of work doing this, don't you think?"

Ed peered over his shoulder at the pair. "I bet Al's used to the late nights anyway."

"And those nights were spent on _your_ arm." the mechanic countered. "So now, instead of an overnighter, I'm having three nights of no sleep while working on the automail that you so carelessly wrecked."

Ed was sorely tempted to get into another one of their little wrestling matches just for the hell of it. Al's height advantage, coupled with his attitude, was really beginning to get to him. Still, he knew Al was just being honest. And Ed knew he did work hard for the pair. And if it had been anyone else, he couldn't trust them the way he trusted the Rockbells when it came to automail.

Letting up, the alchemist sighed and headed for the door. "Anyway, I'm going out."

Al blew on a hair strand near his forehead and turned. "I'll get on it. Winry, you wanna come?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll go outside too."

"Okay. Call if you need something." Al offered before making his way up the stairs.

Winry watched him go before getting up from the sofa herself and following her best friend out the door.

**End of Chapter 9…NOT**

**A/N: **I FINALLY UPDATED! And half-finished, may I add! Sorry XP But I did want to let you guys know that I'm not dead. LOL

I promise, the second half will be up soon.


	10. The House of the Waiting Family, part 2

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Any lyrics I post with my chapters aren't mine. I borrow them strictly for…uh…advertising purposes.

**A/N:** I have found my muse again! REJOICE! –sprinkles cotton candy-flavored confetti in the air- My field is green again! –garden, brown and dry from underuse, springs to life once more with daisies and butterflies and birds twittering-

Peeps! Don't forget! In the law of equal trade, both writer and reader should benefit on equal levels. I posted the chapters, NOW you have to review. Ne? I'm not asking for much. I just want you guys to take a minute of your time to reviewwww, m' kay?

So, picture this. Alphonse…Rockbell. With a wrench and screws in his mouth. What do you think? –a tomato's thrown- Eheh.

**Continuation of Chapter 9**

Crutch in hand, Winry walked out into the sunshine and followed Ed, who decided to rest under the shade of the tree outside the Rockbell home. She knew that tree. It was the very same one they'd climbed on the first day they met Al. Winry smiled at the memory of Ed crowing victoriously from the topmost branch while she was helping Al up. He'd never really been good at climbing trees.

Ed stifled a yawn, fist over mouth, and returned to his relaxed position with his arm crossed behind his head. He heard the clipped grass crunch beneath shoes as Winry sat down next to him with some ease. Den padded over to the pair and sat on Ed's other side, completing the set of afternoon nappers. It was a warm, peaceful afternoon. Even the birds' chirps were soft. Nothing but green grass, blue sky, and the occasional breeze that ruffled one's hair to preoccupy the three. It was a perfect picture to portray.

Winry leaned back against the tree, her jacket on her lap as she tucked her left leg beneath her. It was nice to be back. They really needed this break. And she was sure Ed wouldn't disagree. Not internally, anyway.

The blonde girl turned azure eyes to the boy dozing lightly beside her, Den resting his head on his stomach and snoozing along with him.

She blinked. _So peaceful when he's asleep._

Winry thought it was endearing.

Much better than when he was awake, and raving like a maniac about conspiratorial milk farmers who sold their milk by bribing the food industry for approval.

"…Ed?"

An audible grunt to signal that he was awake and he heard.

"Do you think everything Mr. Marcoh said to us was true?" she asked. "The Philosopher's Stone…and how it was made…"

"He didn't say anything about how it was made." Ed answered, sighing deeply with his eyes closed. "All he did was give us the location of his notes and sent us off."

"Still, it makes you wonder what the Stone's really made out of." Winry plucked a blade of grass and held it in her two fingers to examine. "What encircles its form, from where its power's manifested. I really want to know what the ingredients are."

Gold eyes fluttered open, and he sat up to lean against the trunk as was Winry, folding his arm over his stomach. Den's head fell from Ed's stomach and shifted to sleep on his back, paws in the air. The alchemist looked out over the horizon, the quiet hillside and the sunlight reflected in his eyes. Even though he got what he wanted, there was something about the way Dr. Marcoh had warned him about the "truth behind the truth". First of all, what _was_ the "truth"? And the "truth" behind that "truth"?

Ed sighed again, brushing it off. "Anyway, we've got three days till we go back to Central. And when we have nothing to do, we really are on a break."

_To top it off, no libraries._ he thought silently to himself.

Winry caught the disgruntled look on Ed's face and smiled encouragingly. "But isn't it nice to have one now? We haven't had it easy in a while, you know."

His surly expression changed, and melted into a distant, if not resentful, look. Suddenly, she regretted having brought up the topic. Winry wasn't exactly feeling so hot about the recent events either. Nina…Alexander…Shou Tucker…the man named Scar…Ishval…

…_That's right. Mom and Dad were there when the war began, weren't they?_

Winry drew her false brows together in reminiscence, eyes staring blankly upon the landscape. Her father's hat, the jingling of her mother's wedding ring from her neck, those whispered promises that were never meant to be kept…

"DAMMIT! I HATE BREAKS!"

She was pulled rudely out of her reverie when Ed began to flail his legs and arm wildly in the air next to her, complaining about sloths, milk, cows, and…bananas?

There was a time when Winry would punch Ed lightly on the shoulder whenever his actions irritated her. But this time, she was glad for the distraction. And she laughed. How random was he?

"What are you talking about? If you don't take some time off from the job, you'll always be tired." she told him matter-of-factly. "Besides, no sleep means lack of body growth."

Ed threw her a glare, the kind he used normally for throwing opponents off-guard. "I sleep a _lot_, Winry. In case you haven't noticed. So much I think I'm suffering from jet lag."

She just laughed again, and teased, "Well, you still don't drink your milk; a good reason why you're not getting any taller."

"I _am_ getting TALLER!" he blazed.

"Two centimeters isn't such an accomplishment, Mister Alchemist." Winry countered, having fun now. "I think you're suffering from Dwarfism."

"AM NOT!"

"What if you are?"

"I'D KNOW IF I WAS!" Ed blew the last of his fuse and slumped back down, his back to the tree. He didn't even wince on a splinter.

Winry muffled her laughter. She really wasn't trying to be mean. Ed was just so teasable when it came to his short physique. She had a weird, _weird_ liking to the way he just bristled and wreaked chaos within a diameter of five feet from where he stood. It was kind of fun, and somewhat refreshing from his twenty-four/seven I-don't-need-help-from-anybody attitude. One minute cool-headed, the next, a raging ball of fire. She didn't think plenty'd changed about him over the years she'd lived under the same roof with him. As much as Winry got good kicks out of making fun of Ed, she'd rather when he was quiet and thoughtful the most. Or asleep. He was always so innocent-looking when he was out like a light. It was nice. And it comforted her somehow; made her feel strangely warm.

Besides, he was the same height as she was, last time she checked. Even if that was a year and a half ago. Today, he was about…a centimeter…and a half…taller than her.

…Really not the best achievement since her body never changed.

The girl scooted closer to the still-fuming alchemist, attempting to place her hand over his. Then remembered his right arm was up in Al's workshop, and reached across instead to take up his left hand in her own porcelain-like ones.

"I'm sorry, Ed." she said softly, sincerity in her voice. "I was just kidding."

He regarded her with his forehead creased. After some seconds, the lines faded, and he withdrew his hand to pat the back of hers, as a sign he forgave her, and she smiled with happiness. Feeling better, he sat up straight, resuming his relaxed position against the trunk of the tree.

"So. What do you wanna do?" he asked, closing his eyes again. "Like you said, we've got some time to kill for now. Nothing we can do about it."

Winry leaned back too, fiddling with her jacket folded in her lap. "I don't know. Maybe we can…"

She trailed off. Then an idea came to her suddenly.

"Oh yeah. Why don't you go visit Aunt Trisha's grave?"

Gold eyes snapped open, staring directly ahead in contemplation. "Hmm…maybe." then Ed tilted his head to her. "How about you?"

Winry paused, unsure. Sensing her discomfort, he reached over to take one of her hands this time. And she looked to him with lucid, glass eyes.

"Tell you what. Let's go visit my mom's together."

She smiled, glad with the agreement and the gesture itself. "Yeah."

**-sss-**

After some reassurance to Pinako and Al, the twosome agreed to have an escort: Den. The old woman, considerate of Winry's state, decided to fashion her with a different type of prosthesis to avoid curious eyes. She attached to Winry's thigh a leg made purely out of aluminum. It was the simplest type of transfemoral prosthesis she'd ever made; no double-casing, no joints. Though it wasn't made for easy movement and required no nerve attachment, it was still easy to adjust to with the help of the crutch. It closely resembled Ed's training leg on some level. Al suggested that Winry have a change of clothes and wear pants to hide the leg, to which she agreed too.

Sometime later, Ed and Winry were making their way towards the local cemetery, Den trotting on their heels. Ed kept looking to Winry, gait slowing to let her catch up to him. She'd been insisting that she was fine. Leaving the rest of his clothes back at the Rockbell residence, he took only the pants, his boots, and the red coat, changing only his shirt. Winry chose to change her clothes entirely, and got into a pair of blue overalls and a fresh white, sleeveless blouse she had, plus a pair of comfortable sneakers. Everything else went into laundry. She kept her hair up in the usual ponytail.

They bought flowers at the florist's on the way(Den holding them), stopping to greet some of the people they knew.

"Hey, Edward! Winry!" cried a boy of Ed's age from over his family's sheep pen. "We haven't seen you guys in a while! Whoa, Winry! What happened to your leg? Did you break it?"

They waved from the road.

"Hi, Tom!" Winry called out, waving her free hand. "No, I'm okay! I just broke it, yeah!"

Tom made a beeline for the gate and stopped in front of the pair. "How's it going? You know it's been kinda boring without you two around."

"Two missing people really shouldn't make that kind of difference around here, you know." Ed remarked, grinning all the same.

"Aw, come on. You know we're pretty small, but everyone around here's family."

They smiled tightly at the same time Tom had said that.

"Oh! Say, Winry!" he suddenly approached her, intensely close. She took a step back, bewildered. If he got _too_ close, he might notice something weird.

"Y-yeah?" she stuttered, nervous all of a sudden.

Small, green eyes fixed on her face. "Do you have a boyfriend now?"

A pregnant pause.

Ed stared. "…"

Winry stared. "…"

Tom stared. "…"

Somewhere far off, someone yelled, "Free Bird!"

"Uh…Winry?" Tom tried again, a little braver. And if by brave, I meant "arrogant", then yes.

The pretty blonde's mouth moved soundlessly, wondering where the heck this question came from. And why Tom was feeling a little…close today. Meanwhile, Ed just stood there. And as motionless and quiet as he was the whole time, he didn't exactly like where this was going. And the monster in his stomach was starting to growl, along with him.

"Um, uh, well…" Winry managed, "…n…no. No, I don't have one."

Tom's face actually lit up like a lamp. "REALLY? SERIOUSLY? So does that mean you're free tonight? How long are you gonna stay? You got plans? When are you free? Do you like pasta? I can make pasta! If you wanna come over, I could—"

His sentence was never finished, because Ed suddenly darted forward and threw his left arm around the other boy's neck. To their surprises.

"Hey, Tom!" he barked sharply, his tone a cross between concealed anger and forced cheerfulness. "Forget Winry! You know you should take your mind off girls, and hang with the big boys instead! How about you and me go out tomorrow? Do the bonding and crap!"

Winry blinked. _Ed? Bonding…?_

Tom, wide-eyed(partly because his airway was being partially cut off), choked out, "E-eh? But, I wanted to take Winry—"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Ed's grin tightened, if ever possible, and the "brotherly" hug became more headlock-ish.

Was it just her, or was the vein on Ed's temple throbbing?

"We really should bond!" he went on, the lilt in his voice growing louder that it was starting to scare Tom. "It's been a while since I hung out with a guy! Not to say that Winry's boring and all, but I need a man to do manly stuff with! I need to broaden my senses, touch my environment in a more manly way!"

Winry blinked again, totally lost. _In a more…manly…way…?_

"You catch my drift, Tom?" the alchemist gave the victim's…er…boy's neck another brief but _tight_ squeeze before letting go. Tom grabbed his neck in his own hands and bent over, gasping for air.

"Uhhh…" he choked out, "n-no thanks, Edward. I-I think I'll just stay at home, and ummmm…yeah, I'll just stay at home."

His gaze fell on Winry, winced, and ran back into the pen. Tripping on a few of the sheep as he ran off.

Ed dusted off his left hand on his coat and grinned broadly at her. "Well, come on. We've got more of these guys to _tackle_."

Winry just stared.

(**A/N:** Did she even catch the double meaning?)

**-sss-**

Luckily, no other boy thought to make "advances" on Winry. But the very few village girls they'd met along the way developed a certain interest in her life-long buddy, who was, by the way, as blonde and as thick(and as cute) as can be when it came to women. And in his stage(and situation), puberty was out of the question. Even if a girl was waving him into her house for dinner with semaphore flags, he still wouldn't get the message. Winry, on the other hand, _did_. And startlingly sharp she was to it too, as much as Ed caught on to guys trying to play for some hot pepper with her. But why would Winry get worked up over a few girls? Why should she? Ed wasn't her boyfriend, and _definitely_ wasn't boyfriend material.

…At least, she thought so.

All the same, she shot all the girls with a slight glare and shifting the crutch to the left, hooked her right arm with Ed, while trying to keep the chummy mood between them rather than make it look like they were an actual couple. An image she struggled to block from her mind's eye. The other image she was trying to keep out was how they looked in that position.

Den was still keeping up with them, flowers still in his mouth. Soon enough, they were stepping into tall grass, where rows of headstones stood out from the ground. Ed, free from Winry's "hook", plunged ahead with the black-and-white dog, his brilliant eyes singling out the grave where his mother was buried.

Winry caught up to him as he stood over her. Trisha Elric.

Neither spoke. They didn't have to. The pair just stood there, taking it all in: the name, date of birth, date of death, comments left for that dearly departed mother that Ed loved so much…

Den whined beside him. He turned, and remembered the flowers. Thanking the dog, he reached down and placed the small bouquet over the grave. The cold wind blew over the grass and in the trees, catching Winry's hair. She didn't make a move to turn her head in the wind's direction. She was too busy, trying to remember Trisha's smile. A smile she admired and loved.

Winry's gaze fell on Ed to her right, and she caught that expression on his face as he stared down at his mother's headstone. She knew what he was thinking. Not specifically, but she knew the big picture. Of their plan, their goal, their dreams and achievements…that was how well she knew her friend. And there were times when she thought he looked lonesome that way. And a piece of her heart went out to him.

Shifting the crutch again to her left, her right hand fell over his left. He looked up to her, and seeing her smile brought a small one to his own lips. It was reassuring, comforting, to have a friend beside him. To have _her_ beside him.

Then, Ed's eyes fell eastward, to where his…no…their house used to be, and frowned slightly. Winry followed his gaze, and understandingly, decided to suggest, "Let's go there?"

He hesitated at first, but another supportive squeeze of his hand made him surrender to the idea. "Yeah. Come on, you two."

**-sss-**

Some kids liked to pick up some fond memories from the houses they used to live in, and kept them as treasures. Others just turn their backs to their past and celebrate their new home.

Ed and Winry…preferred to stand in silent recollection, side by side. With nothing but the wind to disturb them. Den whined some when the cold draft hit his fur and he shivered.

The tree, their tree, charred and bare, stood alone forever unchanging from the previous six months it died along with the Elric's home. Remnants of their home stayed preserved and forgotten; the bricked foundation continued to wear away slowly with time. The faint smell of burnt wood still lingered in the air, nostalgic and painfully so. These were all that remained of the place that Ed and Winry once called home. Their memories were only what stayed untouched, memories they released into the air for the sake of their goal.

But today, they were gathering the pieces again. As Winry took a step towards the rubble, crutch making thumping noises at each slow stride.

"Winry?" Ed called to her. Den watched beside him.

She stopped some feet after she'd stepped over the spot where their front door used to be. Then she turned to look at him. And smiled.

"Some good memories are in this spot, I think." she told him. "I stopped at this exact spot from the moment I stepped into your house. Then Mom and Dad left me here for Aunt Trisha to take care of. And then…"

Winry paused, before maneuvering her way over to a corner of dandelions growing on the grass, and stopped. Furrowing her brows in thought, she turned to Ed once more. "I think…yes. You were standing here on that day, and you just stared at me from behind your mother. I think I thought of you to be a quiet little boy at first."

To her secret amusement, she saw his eye twitch at the word "little" but refused to break the moment.

"Guess I wasn't as taciturn as you thought I was." Ed strode forward himself, and came to stand at eye-level with her. Winry blinked, having to lift her eyes just a tad to lock gazes with him. "But after that, we had fun, didn't we?"

She blinked again, and a smile crossed her lips. "Yeah. I wasn't all that interested in alchemy at first when you were. But I guess…"

His eyes glazed over.

"After some time…" she went on…

**-sss-**

_**10 years ago…**_

"Where are my Mommy and Daddy?"

Trisha Elric ran gentle fingers through the sobbing child's hair, whispering soft words of comfort in her ear.

"I'm sure they're coming back for you." she reassured the little girl. But deep down, she was worried. The war had been declared over several weeks ago. The Edgestones should have returned by then, for their daughter. So why didn't they? Unless…

Trisha tried her best not to let those terrible thoughts show on her face. Winry needed a great deal of comfort now.

A younger Edward stood at the doorway of his and Winry's room, a tiny wooden horse in his hand. Something he'd made himself through alchemy. Something he'd meant to give to Winry as a present.

"I want my Mommy and Daddy!" she wailed again in his mother's arms, fat tears streaming down her cheeks.

Now, he wanted to give her something else. Something to make her happy with.

**-sss-**

Ed's gold irises had fallen closed. And he opened them again to meet Winry's intent, cerulean gaze. And he reddened slightly, realizing just how close he'd brought himself to her.

"Well," he said in an off-handed manner, averting his gaze with a cough, "that's the past. Some things were worth remembering and some things weren't. We just have to remind ourselves that not everything's forgotten here, right?"

Winry listened to him, warm all over. And she knew, Ed didn't throw the past away like that. He cherished it as much as she did. She smiled as much as her porcelain face let her.

A whine from Den pierced the silence, and she realized just how late it was.

"Damn…" Ed cursed under his breath, eyes on the sunset. "Winry, come on. We'd better head back before it gets dark."

"Un." she agreed, gathering herself up to follow him.

Suddenly, Ed stopped mid-stride and pausing some, turned on his heel towards Winry, who stopped abruptly herself. Then slowly, a flesh hand extended out towards her.

Ed smiled, a true one. One that made her non-existent stomach do flip-flops.

"They're all waiting." he said, smile still plastered to his face.

Winry blinked.

And some foreign emotion made her face break out into a joyful grin, and launch herself forward with her crutch to grab his outstretched hand, laughing happily.

**End of Chapter 9…or is it?**

**A/N: **Har-har hardy-har-har! Once more, I broke off! Sorry, because I think this one chapter's going to be a long one! I mean, what are you gonna do with me? XD

I hope you loved that one! Now, REVIEWWWWWWW!


	11. The House of the Waiting Family, part 3

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Any lyrics I post with my chapters aren't mine. I borrow them strictly for…uh…advertising purposes.

**A/N:** This is the second to the last time I cut off, I swear. This will conclude Chapter 9. Okay? I'm sorry. It's just that I want this done as soon as possible. But next time IS the last time, I promise. :)

…So I hope you guys are still okay with Al the mechanic. o.o;

Fluffiness! I hope I satisfy enough readers to answer whatever question they might have about Winry's body make-up. Just tell me if I've missed something.

**Continuation of Chapter 9**

****

"Ready?" Pinako braced herself, legs apart and bent over Ed's arm with her tool at hand. "One."

"Two." Al followed.

"Three."

Every automail client feels pain. They become so sensitive during the surgery, their senses are easily induced. So much that even a poke is unbearable after the operation. Most don't even make it past rehab. Their cries of agony never wasted on every grueling moment when their bodies fall under pressure from the automail. It's also easy to say that none of them ever went without an ear-splitting yell during the attachment.

But…

The only sound Ed made, sitting there in his blue boxers, when his nerves joined to the automail was nothing more than a, "GCK!"

And that was it.

All the same, Winry flinched as she watched it. She knew that face. He pulled it when milk was the only drink available.

Ed sighed deeply and sat back on the chair, suppressing a gasp. "I always hate the moment when the nerves get connected…"

"Don't whine." Al told him firmly, hands on his upper limb. "Try moving your arm."

He only had to twitch both metal parts to assure them that the attachment succeeded. And the pair set to work, adjusting, connecting, then assembling.

"So," Al's voice floated over the squeaking and the groaning of metal, "what are you gonna do for Winry's 'handicap'?"

Ed opened his eyes and let them fall to the girl on the other side of the room, sitting on the sofa watching him. Beside her, like a true bodyguard, Major Armstrong stood in an eased but ready position.

"I'm gonna need scraps of metal, first off. And some plaster and clay…and I think I need to retouch Winry's paint."

"And the fiber strings?" Pinako lifted a brow.

"Forget it. As long as we stay away from hot climates, she'll be fine."

Winry furrowed her brows. "Ed, I don't know about that…"

"Well, I can supply you the plaster and the paint." Pinako told them. "But the clay…"

Ed waved it off with his left hand. "It's okay. I just need some cornstarch, baking soda, and water. I can get those from the kitchen."

"Very well."

Armstrong cupped his chin. "Interesting. I hope you don't mind if I stay and watch, Edward Elric."

The alchemist looked skeptical, but with a nod of consent sent his way by Winry, he agreed too. "Okay."

"Edward Elric is a strong soul." The Major commented. "From what I've heard from Lady Pinako, so many automail users cannot bear that sort of pain."

Al chuckled from behind Ed. "As tough as boots as he is stubborn."

Winry silently agreed, smiling with amusement.

The older boy threw them both a dirty look and huffed. Before smirking to himself with pride. "But, I'll probably be able to say goodbye to this pain. Once I get my hands on the Philosopher's Stone, I'll restore our bodies and life will be great."

"That's a shame." Pinako responded. "You bring home more money than I can expect."

"Yeah." Al pointed out, ratchet in hand. "Don't bother getting your bodies back. Isn't it cool to have automail? How about it? You and me, meeting up every week. And then I throw a couple of tools at you for destroying this ergonomically-designed arm for whatever reason you might have." he tapped his face with his finger thoughtfully. "You know, we should really get to know each other more. That way we can connect. Like we're brothers."

Al offered the older boy his friendliest, most selfless, cutest smile. With the flowers, the haze and the filter effect to accentuate that frame. "What do you think, Ed?"

Ed gave him the weirdest stare. "…I'd rather die than have you for a brother."

(**A/N:** LOL)

The flowers wilted and the filters died out.

Al puffed his cheeks, pushing his red cap forward to emphasize his angry but adorable scowl. "Oh yeah? Too bad! Lord knows you need a brother, Ed! Without one, you're just this shrimp with a cute girlfriend who isn't even sure if she likes you or not!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…WHAT?"

Ed flailed his left arm, ready to spin Al over his head till he screamed blue murder. And Pinako was left to restrain him by pinning his legs down with a sigh. The other two just…

"…Yes, indeed." Armstrong chuckled to himself. "Young love it is."

Winry had the weirdest look on her face. Before she fell off the sofa and landed on the floor face flat, to the Major's shock, and gathering herself up again to sit with his assistance, she just stared at the best friend(ever grumpy and ever milk-hateful) she'd ever had.

Meanwhile, Al grabbed the smallest wrench he had and thumped an infuriated Ed flippantly on the head with it, chortling. "Stop it or you'll strain yourself, I was just joking."

The alchemist did stop. But he was still shaking with fury. For one thing, the way Al talked to him just now put him way over the edge; he demanded respect as the eldest of the three, and he'd be damned if he didn't get it. And for another, he said two things there that struck more than one nerve.

Another thing?

…He didn't know which of these two things he was mad about more. And it only drove him insane.

But he liked to think it was because he'd just been insulted for his height. _Again_.

_So focus instead on the fact that the stupid, cat-loving automail junkie just threw another one of those dirty insults in your face without warning at all. Just fixate your perspectives on that, and you'll be fine. You'll be fine, Edward Elric, you'll be fine._

_Fine…fine…_

…_G…g…_

"GIRLFRIEND?"

Ed blurted it out without warning, and clapping his left hand over his mouth couldn't take it back, he knew that. So he just sat there, like an idiot, earning all the attention again with his "freedom of expression". He'd be fine honestly; if a certain pair of blue eyes weren't looking his way too. _Again_. His cheeks took on a nice, faint reddish color.

Thankfully, Pinako cleared her throat to redirect everyone's attention to the automail reassembly as she twisted that last screw in to secure the metal plate.

"There! All set!" she declared, admiring the finished product.

Ed, still struggling not to embarrass himself further in front of everyone(_and_ Winry), pushed himself off his chair with a grunt. It was finally done, thank the Lord.

He tested the flexion and extension of the metal, checking the suppleness of his arm and leg while loosening them up with a couple of stretches.

"How is it?" Pinako asked him.

He pulled on his metal arm using the other, flexing it. "Feels good."

Ed seemed satisfied.

Al pulled off his gloves and tossed a few tools back into the toolbox, turning his back on Ed. "Just be careful. The metal you're using now's had its chrome ratio raised, absolutely rust-resistant. But—"

"Winry, come on! I'm fixing you in the basement!" Ed called to her from the other side of the room.

She got up with a sigh and followed him, Armstrong at her heels. Pinako tidied up, and left with some of the tools for the tool shed, leaving her grandson alone in the room. Who was, by the way, _still_ giving Ed the breakdown of his new automail's compatibility.

"So." he rambled on, not noticing _at all_ that Ed had already gone, along with everyone else. "The tensions might be more springy, but don't count on the strength. It's like I said, it's been lowered, so don't be reckless, okay? I know how you get when you box somebody. Just stop swinging it around, and _don't_ try to use it as a shield. Plates'll never recover, and you fending off a mace isn't exactly my happiest thought, especially when you use the automail arm for defense. So the next time you come running back here with Winry, all beaten up and bruised, and with our precious automail _gang-raped_—"

Den passed him on his way outside, a bone in his mouth.

"I'm gonna take this wrench, fling it out the window once you're in my line of sight, and put you in the hospital!" Al went on, banging the butt of his screwdriver on the worktable in growing annoyance. "And then, _I'm _marrying Winry instead of you. Don't you ever forget that I still won that day! You hear me, Ed? Do you—"

Al whipped around to face Ed. And met air.

Pause.

"…Where'd everybody go…?"

**-sss-**

Winry was more than a little nervous, sitting there in that wooden armchair, hair down, her clothes folded and laid aside.

…And wearing nothing but a sheet.

Not that Ed hadn't seen her—or rather, the_ body_—naked before. He made it, after all. But she couldn't help but feel tense all the same. In a few minutes, as soon as Ed came back with the materials, she'd have to…be exposed.

And with the Major hovering behind her, it didn't help her situation. So when she asked him to at least turn around when she was going to undress, he obeyed and turned to face the wall while Winry prepared herself. Now, here she was: naked and ready to be fixed.

"I'm interested in all this." Armstrong's voice suddenly carried over to break the silence. "Not everyone at Central speculates. But your body is simply lifelike; no one can tell the difference between you and a real human."

Winry clutched the sheet closer to her. She'd wrapped it around her torso to protect what should never be seen in public. "It's the paint. Ed doesn't use the glossy kind so that my skin won't look shiny. I need to have a recoating every once in a while. Especially when I get rained on. I even worry about the cracking and the peeling. It's happened on more than one occasion now, and Ed has to keep fixing me during that."

"What about your eyes? What are they made of?"

"Glass."

"Especially made by Edward Elric, I assume."

Winry nodded once. "Un. The pupils are actually thin pieces of film beneath each of the eyes that I can manipulate manually as if they were my own. Sorry. I don't really know how Ed made them. He's never encouraged me to ask what he's doing. You can ask him, though."

Armstrong tilted his head to the side. "That young man certainly had you well thought out."

She smiled. "He wanted to put me in a body where I wouldn't stand out in a moving crowd. Even if it does have its limits." she lifted her hands to eye-level, fingers clenching and unclenching. "This isn't the most convenient body, but it is pretty convincing."

"Edward Elric takes special care of you, Miss Winry."

She turned her head to look at him, embarrassed. And she dropped her gaze just as quickly as she'd cast it.

"Not…really." she stuttered. "Ed's my best friend. He's just worried. Worried that I might get exposed."

"Which is why he takes great care." the Major responded conclusively, nodding his noble head.

Winry fell silent.

Then, they heard the familiar pit-patting of a definite pair of mismatched feet down the stairs, as Ed appeared with a cardboard box cradled in both hands, a large-sized mixing bowl balanced on top of it.

"Hey." he greeted. "Sorry I took so long. I got into a little accident with the baking soda upstairs in the kitchen. Granny Pinako was _not_ happy."

"What did you do?" Winry asked, cracking a smile.

Ed rolled his eyes to the side. "Ahh…just did something with the water. Spilled it all over the floor. Then I slipped. Made it worse."

Winry suddenly giggled at a fond memory. "I remember I made an even bigger mess in our kitchen, trying to bake a cake. I got scolded by Aunt Trisha for that."

Ed's face lit up, something really rare at a time like this. "Yeah! You were making it for my seventh birthday, right?"

He set the box and the bowl on the floor at Winry's feet/foot.

She nodded, laughing. "Un! Your favorite, chocolate cake using your mother's recipe!"

He sighed, hands on his hips in peaceable reminiscence. "Yeah…Mom made great cake."

Winry nodded. "The best cake-maker in the world. And I wanted to be her apprentice."

"Heh! Too bad you ruined your chances by messing around in her kitchen!"

"I wasn't that clumsy!" she defended, pouting.

"Your butterfingers sprayed flour all over the walls!" he pointed out, smirking.

Winry let her face drop and looked away guiltily.

"…Not that much." she admitted.

Ed, deciding she'd had enough, settled for saying, "Doesn't matter. The kitchen was in hell, but the cake tasted like heaven."

Winry brightened at those words. "Really?"

He shrugged. "Don't forget that it was Mom who helped you make it afterwards."

"But I was definitely in that cake's taste, right?" she raised her brows, smiling proudly.

"Yeah. You were in the cake, and had it all over you."

The pair laughed simultaneously, enjoying the moment. And they would've gone on if it hadn't been for the Major's touched and sniffling comment of, "Children in love are fated star-crossed lovers indeed…"

Ed and Winry shut up almost immediately, and she turned away with an uncomfortable look on her face while _he_ shot their bodyguard a fierce look of warning while the man wiped his eyes with his handkerchief in an over-melodramatic way.

"Anyway," Ed coughed into his metal fist, "I've gathered some of the leftovers from Granny and Al's work. We can't let these go to waste."

He emptied the cardboard contents onto the floor. Pieces of metal, no doubt scrapped by the two mechanics upstairs, fell clattering onto the surface. Ed gathered them into a single pile, surveyed it, and turned to Winry.

"Okay. Winry, lift up the sheet." he told her.

If she could, she'd blush. But she wanted this to be over and done with too. So telling herself that this was _no way_ for her to lose her virtue as a chaste virgin, she did as Ed told her and raised the sheet far enough for him to see her right thigh. He leaned over and examined it with intelligent, gold eyes. His nose just inches away from her leg.

Winry was suddenly so caught in his scrutiny that she almost forgot what it felt like they were doing…

But some moments later, he pulled away and nodded as if to affirm something with himself. "Alright."

"What happens first?" the Major decided to ask.

The alchemist rubbed his hands together briskly in preparation. "Well, I need to make the base first before I do the molding." he reached up to stretch his arms over his head. "Winry has an inner skeletal structure that makes up the scheme of her frame. I can't just put her together with plaster and clay because there's nothing to hold it all together, and she'll just fall into pieces if she even tried to move. So I need to reassemble her leg's metal composition first before moving to the molding."

The Major could only utter a small but impressed, "Hmm."

Ed clapped his hands together, and the energy surged through his arms like lightning. It cast a faint, bluish glow in the dimly lit basement.

Ed was fully focused on alchemy, and he never let his mind wander off on trivial things. But when he glanced Winry's way, Ed couldn't help but notice, briefly, how stunning her pretty, delicate face looked in the light. And for a moment, he forgot what he was doing, before delivering a mental slap to himself and continued with the energy buildup, crimson-faced.

Little did he know what sort of thought process akin to his was going through her teenage girl-mind too…

Ready for alchemizing, Ed placed his hands over the metal pieces, giving rise to their appearance, their solid forms dissolving like molten iron, and merging together to become one shape. Keeping one hand over the metal, Ed maneuvered his other hand to hold it over Winry's leg. And concentrating deeply, shifted the metal from the floor towards her. She and the Major watched, entranced, as the metal synchronized with the metal end poking out of her thigh, and gave way to form a long, extending limb made of patented steel. The formation ran from thigh to toe until the transmutation was complete. And Ed pulled his hands up with a sigh. But he was satisfied with his work, checking the joints and bending them to test their flexibility before grinning proudly at Winry.

"There. That part's over."

"Intriguing." Armstrong crouched beside Winry's small form, eyeing the slim, fragile-looking build of her metal framework. It resembled the standard construction most tailors used for metal mannequins, with the exception of the joints. Even the toes actually flexed.

"Thanks." Ed replied. He leaned over the bowl, which consisted of the white dry powder. "The plaster comes next. I'll be right back."

He went back upstairs to fetch a water pitcher from the kitchen and sat down on the floor again, his hands protected by a pair of old worn rubber gloves he surely borrowed from Pinako. Carefully, he poured the contents of the pitcher into the bowl. Steaming hot water flowed to mix with the bowlful of plaster. Ed dipped a mixing wooden spoon into the mixture and stirred to even it out.

The next half hour was spent with less talk among the three, Ed focused on the plaster mold. He used his gloved hands and worked his way along the lower thigh down to the shin section, clearly avoiding the joints as he applied the plaster in liquid form. The plaster was the second base meant for the clay that was to come soon after. He applied the plaster thickly to form the lower thigh and the calf, weaving his way carefully around the toes and the ankle to prevent any accidents, spreading the plaster evenly along the leg without wasting any and patting it down for smoothness.

Some thirty minutes later, Winry's half-finished leg was encased in dried, white, solid plaster. It had taken that long because Ed had decided to use his bare hands rather than just alchemize.

For some reason, she found it sweet. Ed was the last person she'd call "patient" when it came to manual labor. But he handled the casting very well for someone with a short-complex mantra.

"Did you take this much time creating her body?" Armstrong queried.

Ed looked up sharply at the question, before answering bluntly, "No. I used alchemy. I would have taken forever if I made Winry's body manually."

This brought up an interesting thought for her, and she asked, "So…why didn't you use alchemy this time?"

The alchemist averted his eyes to the side, looking guilty. It only spurred Winry's curiosity.

"Ed?"

He was starting to look uncomfortable now, and to their surprise, he blushed. "Er…"

He wasn't telling her something. She could feel it. Winry leaned towards him, trying to peer into his face. "Ed, what is it?"

He stayed quiet; unusual. And her forehead creased, his behavior worrying her. "Ed?"

The Major watched along with Winry as the Fullmetal Alchemist hung his head for a few, then looked up slightly. But he never met her gaze.

Instead, he stared at the bit of cleavage she was showing from above the sheet.

That looked _dangerously_ close to slipping off her naked form if she didn't grab the ends soon.

Fortunately, Winry noticed his gaze and found where it lingered, looking down at herself. Blue eyes wide, she shrieked and pulled back clutching at the sheet in her crossed arms, absolutely mortified.

"Ed!" she scolded, trying to sound as angry as possible without losing so much of her face.

He looked up, crimson-faced, before hanging his head again in humiliation. "S-sorry. It was because I…" and he just trailed off. He didn't dare think to finish his sentence with, "…noticed _it_."

The room slipped into an uncomfortable silence. And Winry refused to lower her hands from her chest as she stared at her best friend sitting on the floor with his gloved hands coated in white plaster.

Armstrong cleared his throat loudly, as if it cleared the thick atmosphere. "Perhaps we should continue."

Ed thought so too, standing up abruptly and rushing back upstairs with the empty bowl and pitcher for the clay.

Clay application wasn't as hard as the casting. Ed only had to fill in for the joints, where the gaps and the notches stayed. All he had to do was cake the plaster over with the colorless clay.

"First things first." he mumbled, producing a small vial full of thin, green stalks. "This is for the fibers."

Winry finally had the guts to say something, and stated(without a stutter), "But you said never mind it."

"I was…a little absent-minded." Ed shrugged his shoulders. "I should've known better. The fiber's exactly what's helping you walk and talk."

The Major actually looked disapproving. "Do not be negligent, Edward Elric. Miss Winry is your ward, is she not?"

Ed looked at him like he was crazy. "Ward? What the—Major, what's your deal? Winry's not my ward! She's far from somebody who needs care all the time! She can take care of herself, you know. I mean, as long as she doesn't…fall apart or something."

But Winry could see what Alex Armstrong was getting at. He was right. Ed took care of her, more so now than before; he worried constantly over the state of her body, shielded her with his coat out in the rain, and never stopped buying those tubes of paint at every town they dropped by for retouches. It was like getting babysat all the time by a—

_Nonono! Don't! He's not a shrimp, Winry. Not so much anymore, at least. Lay off, lay off._

She had to admit though. Other than Ed being an older brother figure and a playmate since the times in the sandbox, they might have had established another kind of relationship after the transmutation and during their journey towards recovery. Simply put, she and Ed had a parent-child thing going on. And it went on more than she thought.

Winry could picture it now: Papa Edward and baby Winry. And Daddy fixing his daughter's booboo.

(**A/N: **And this is the part where I disturb the chapter to say: AHMAGADZ!)

The teenage girl thought her head was going to blow, watching that scene in her inner-mind theatre. Ed a _dad_? _Her _dad?

Two words: Alternate…world.

"Where did you find fibers?" Armstrong's voice cut off her train of thought, and she found Ed on the floor again, the vial's contents swirling inside the bowl of clay as he stirred with the spoon.

"To put it, plant fibers are strong and supple." Ed explained. "The best kind of plant fiber is cellulose. There are other types of this fiber, and right now, I'm using bast. It's the sturdiest I know, and it's found in the stems."

Then the Major figured out the purpose of the green stalks. "You're mixing the fiber with the clay."

"That's right. The fiber strings don't run parallel to the clay. It's more of an invisible net. No matter what limb Winry bends, the strings assimilate with the clay and prevent any breaking. This is how she's moving so easily without being so stiff."

Ed tapped the spoon on the edge of the bowl to finish. "Alright. This won't take long."

He clapped his hands together, initiating the alchemic reaction again. His hands went to the clay, as it leapt and shifted shape along with the fibers. Carefully, he transferred it towards Winry, and the clay molded itself over the plaster, filling in the gaps. The plant stems fell apart, giving way to the fibers as the transmutation congregated them into long, thin and fragile strings that ran throughout Winry's leg within the clay according to Ed's set-up.

Within seconds, the transmutation was done. And his task over Winry's leg reconstruction was complete.

Then a can of paint suddenly popped into his head, and he sighed. Well, almost complete.

"Incredible!" The Major praised, patting Winry's new leg with a large hand. "Exactly like the real thing! Edward Elric, you are a genius!"

Winry smiled happily herself to see the leg looking as good as new. "Ed, the seal."

He waved a hand. "Yeah yeah, I know. I also have to paint your leg afterwards. But if you really want to do it now…"

She nodded, and he gave in.

"Okay."

Armstrong looked between the pair in mild puzzlement. "I beg your pardon?"

"There's a trick to fixing Winry. She has a new leg, true. But it's not going to move with her, not yet."

"Why?"

Ed stood up, and helped Winry to her feet by slinging her arm over his shoulders while her other hand held the sheet close to her chest. Her left leg kept her moving, but the new unpainted one remained immobile. "Because there's a medium between Winry's soul and this body. When her right leg was destroyed, her soul parted from it because it was no longer a use to the body, and it was rejected. So making her a new limb was only the first step to fixing her. The second step is to _affix_."

The Major seemed confused now, but he was following. "I see."

"Hold on Major, and I'll show you."

Ed helped Winry move to an old wooden table standing in the corner. He asked her to sit with her back turned to them, and she obeyed.

"Okay. Winry, can you lower the sheet so I can see your back?"

She gave him an uneasy glance over her shoulder, before slowly lowering the sheet to reveal something to the two men. There on the small of her back, was a small red seal. Supposedly made by Ed.

Armstrong leaned in for a good look. "This is where the bond is?"

"That's right." Ed told him. "I have to attach that leg fully to Winry's body so that the soul appends to the new attachment and moves it."

"I see." then the man noticed something. "It seems like it's written in blood."

Ed nodded. "It is. It's written in _my_ blood."

The Major suddenly didn't look very well, but the pair didn't even notice as they laughed at their "close call".

Ed clapped his hands and placed them on Winry's back. The transmutation lasted briefly for it died down.

"Winry, can you move your leg?"

She decided on her toes first. She wiggled her big toe; it moved along with all her other toes. Altogether, she extended her leg, stretching it as high as possible from her seat on the table.

"Ed, you did it!" she turned to him, beaming. "It's as good as new!"

He smirked. "Great."

Armstrong smiled widely himself. "Brilliant!"

Winry moved off the table, testing out her new leg by bending her knees and rolling her ankle.

"Whoa, whoa. Not so fast!" Ed told her. "I still need to paint that, so go sit back down."

She sighed, not to be put down by the fact she had to wait a little longer before she finally had freedom. Obeying Ed, she walked back easily towards the armchair and sat back down. He approached and bent to her level over her face. And once again, she was caught in her chum's brilliant eyes…

"…Looks like your face needs a retouching too."

She blinked, pulled momentarily from her bout of wonderment. "Eh?"

Then their bodyguard stepped forward, his noble head down. "Edward Elric, do you need assistance? My family has been passing down the art of painting for years."

Ed shook his head in an assuring way. "Nah, that's ok Major. I can handle it from here.

"Oh, but…" Winry suddenly spoke up, "do you…mind if you give us some privacy, Major?"

Ed's gaze fell on her, puzzled.

What Winry intended was for her and Ed to be alone. Without Armstrong looking in on her while she was getting a retouch. After all, it probably wouldn't be just her face and the leg that'd need it…

But the man, apparently, had the wrong idea, and his eyes simply twinkled with unsuppressed glee.

"There will come those times…" he began solemnly, quoting from his favorite poem. "…when a young man and a lady, in the season of spring, come to meet beneath the apple tree. And the young man, bold gentleman that he is, passes a hand to the lady, drops a kiss to her wrist."

Winry's cerulean eyes grew to the size of saucers. "N…N…!"

Ed blushed at those starting words, and yelped, "WHAT? CUT IT OUT, DAMMIT!"

Armstrong didn't stop, to their embarrassment and utter horror. "The young lady, ever chaste, colors and retreats, leaving the youth befuddled, thinking what a waste."

"HEY!"

"Yet sometime in the early eve, when the sun dips for sleep, the young man finds her, patient and earnest. Her hands on his face, her eyes melting with his…"

Winry stuttered, "M-M-M-M-Major…please stop…"

The Major pressed his hands over his heart dramatically, tears in his eyes. "…And he…"

A white blouse was torn off, and a pose.

"BEHELD HIS HEALTHY BODY FOR THE GLORY OF MANHOOD!"

And the pair died as the pink sparkles engulfed the little basement beneath the Rockbells' house.

**End not of Chapter 9**

**A/N: **e,e …R and R, please? Gimme 5 at least for this, or I'm never going to finish this chapter.


	12. The House of the Waiting Family, part 4

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Any lyrics I post with my chapters aren't mine. I borrow them strictly for…uh…advertising purposes.

**A/N: **-pokes head out of writer's burrow- …He…he…he. Uhhh…hi?

Reader: -pitchfork and butter knife in hand- GET 'ER!!!!!!!!!!

-readers pelt me mercilessly with…pineapples(my worst enemy)-

I'm sorry! DX

The finals were drawing ever closer, and daybreak didn't look as bright as it should during the morning of the exams. o,o;

Okay, so I'm back. And I actually bullied a blockmate of mine to review. I'm so evil! XD

Oh wait. Scratch that. I'm not evil. I'm EBIL. Eeeeeeeebillllll…Mwahahahahahaha…

-cough- So, on with the chapter then. XD And guess what? It's the last of the never-ending cut-offs of Chapter 9 so whoopee!

**Continuation of Chapter 9**

Ed paused, knees bent in preparation to pounce. And he charged directly at Winry to deliver a blow to her ribs. Quick to react, she caught his metal arm in both hands. She slid back a good four inches, putting some force behind her heels and countered with a high kick aimed for his chin. He blocked the attack using his free arm and pulled away to return to his starting position, and she did the same thing.

They were out in the grass outside the Rockbell home sparring, Armstrong watching them. Winry had changed clothes again, keeping the white tank top and replacing her overalls with a pair of yellow, knee-length shorts, long hair once again in its usual ponytail. Ed sported his black sleeveless top and blue shorts, his hair in its braid. Both were barefoot; they cleared the field of rocks and pebbles and filled holes to ensure no distractions during their training. As usual, Ed was being careful not to be too hard on Winry. Something that bothered her a lot, and made her think Ed was being sexist for going easy on her. Just because she was a girl didn't mean she was delicate. Afterall, they were both taken under by a very talented, and _very_ unmerciful instructor.

That, and plaster wasn't as fragile as Ed thought either.

It had been some 30 minutes ago, when Ed and Winry were sitting in the basement of the Rockbell home, a can of paint at their feet, Winry's plastered unpainted leg propped on a stool while Ed applied copious but sparing amounts of flesh coating in fine, even strokes from thigh to foot using a paintbrush with a foot-long wooden handle. They spoke quietly yet contentedly during these times of recuperation from recent events they'd taken part of. A moment to reminisce, to reflect and learn from their past experiences. Using what they gained in their journey as stepping stones for their chance to expand their minds, and open them to the possibilities of what may lay ahead of them, so that they'd be prepared to face what's forthcoming.

In that moment, Ed's insights on sugarcane's correlation to licorice was the heaviest topic they'd ever undergone. Something bigger since his "830 Reasons Why Milk Was Actually Hazardous For One's(His) Health".

"I'm telling you, Winry!" he was saying. "Licorice is a root crop. Sugarcane hybrids spawn liters of molasses every year, donating 99 percent more sucrose after refinement. And licorice is fifty times sweeter than disaccharides, so—"

"…Ed, why are we talking about this again…?"

"…I just wanted to talk about something…" he grumbled, dipping the brush into the can for a refill. "I told you Winry. I hate breaks."

She rolled her eyes to the side, smiling for his sake. "But that doesn't have anything to do with alchemy at all."

"It does if licorice makes molasses thru transmutation." Ed pointed out stubbornly.

Winry reverted cerulean glass orbs in his direction again. "…Was that what you were trying to do yesterday?"

He made a little sound in his throat, and blushed, pausing in his work.

She blinked, and tried to keep the smile up with brows furrowed. "So, did it work…?"

A pause.

Winry regarded Ed for a while, before turning her head to the side, put down somewhat. "I guess…you really hated being stuck here."

He lifted his own head to look at her, and was surprised to see that look on her face. "Winry?"

"Heheh." she laughed weakly. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

Ed wasn't convinced. And the rest of the afternoon had gone without much talking.

Even now, there was less talking during sparring. It was important not just for Winry, but for Ed too, to adjust to their fixed limbs. He still thought there might be some complications sometime after with the joints in her leg. She was used to it; he always got rattled about the idea that she would just fall apart before his very eyes.

…Which she kind of did back at East City.

Winry smiled grimly to herself. _At least it was just a leg and not two._

"Hm, they seem to be doing fine." Armstrong mused to himself, regarding the pair from the top of a small hill. "Perhaps they do not require my presence here."

Then, a familiar glimmer appeared in his eyes. "Ohoho…of course."

And without further ado, he stepped forward. "Edward Elric! Miss Winry!"

They turned in unison, and saw to their horror, a shirtless Major with flexed biceps.

"I shall join you both!" he declared openly, the pink sparkles blindingly bright and dancing in the air around him.

Ed was the first to react, blue-faced. "NO WAY! Don't you come near us!"

Their recent experience with the over-enthusiastic man still had them quaking in their shoes.

And Armstrong charged, fists in front.

"Kyaaaaaa!" Winry screamed, she and Ed parting to let the eager giant through.

Ed grabbed her wrist when Armstrong tried for another hit again.

"ARE YOU NUTS? YOU COULD KILL SOMEBODY!" the young alchemist yelled, mortification written on his face.

"Nonsense!" the Major responded, flexing _all_ of his upper body muscles from trunk to jaw. "Strength and beauty cannot be attained without hard training! Pain earns power! Power gains beauty!"

He shifted poses again, looking pretty much like Hercules for a moment in that one pose. "Behold, this perfect specimen! Edward Elric must refine himself to be this way as well!"

Ed's brow twitched uncontrollably; the horrifying idea of becoming someone like Major Armstrong dismayed him to no end.

Al was watching the scene play out from the balcony, cap in his gloved hand, and he sweated. "…What are they doing…?"

**-sss-**

Needless to say, their spar ended very quickly with a rather triumphant victory for Major Armstrong and two exhausted and disheveled(one pissed) alchemists.

"Thank God, dinnertime…!" Ed groaned, rubbing his head as they walked back into the Rockbell household. "I hope I don't stay in the same rank as the Major for the next six months…he'll be the death of me before that Scar creep."

Winry, tired in spirit, still found it in her to laugh at Ed's grumbling, and he turned to fix her with a stare. Some part of him was happy to see her cheered up like that. The other part, which was attached to the feeding line to his stomach, was screaming for food.

"About time then, kids." Pinako welcomed them by the door with a grin.

**-sss-**

Dinnertime came and went, with much prodding from Pinako and Al(especially Al) for Ed to take care of his automail more. The alchemist just sat and stuffed his mouth, pointedly ignoring Al's teasing comments of "grows like a shrub more than a weed". Afterall, food should never be wasted on an all-out brawl at the dinnertable, especially Granny Pinako's cooking. In fact, he'd never waste the quality of her cooking, which was by the way, exquisite.

So much he just plopped on their green sofa and passed out, belly full, and exposed. The _bellybutton_.

Winry was left to sigh over him in mild exasperation. "He's doing it again…what is wrong with him?"

She covered him with a blanket she borrowed from the Rockbells. Al was standing behind her along with a chortling Pinako.

"Does he always sleep like that?" Al remarked in good humor.

"You'd never believe it." Winry sighed again. "He does it _everywhere_! In hotels, camping out, in restaurants if he ate too much…the list is endless!"

Pinako cackled. "You sound like his mother, Winry!"

She looked up quickly, startled by the comment. "I am?"

The old woman came to stand by the sleeping alchemist and regarded him. "Well…not really. It's not that image that comes to mind foremost."

"What does?" Winry asked.

Pinako tilted her head and cast a secretive glance towards the girl. "Maybe…a babysitter?"

She made a face, obviously doubting it. "I don't know if I wanna be that…"

Winry let her gaze wander to Ed's face, and silently marveled the way he just let his features go slack in his sleep, in a really nice way too. Al sat near his head, taking his cap off and fumbling with it in both hands. After a while, he spoke up.

"Winry?"

"Hm?" she looked up, tearing herself from Ed for a moment.

The young mechanic looked uneasy at first, then before he knew it, it came in one string, "AreyouandEdcomingback?"

She stiffened and almost looked away from Al. Struggling for a proper response, she answered with enthusiasm, "Yeah, of course we are. How can we not come here, back to Granny and Al?"

The boy looked away. "…Because you and Ed don't seem to look at this like it's home at all. I mean, you probably do," he corrected, "But I don't think Ed feels the same way. And I can tell by the way he just stares ahead and lets his mind go somewhere else. He's never down-to-earth. He just…never looks at us."

Winry's false brows drew together in concern. "That's…"

Strained silence.

Pinako's voice floated up between them, breaking the sudden tension. "Winry, I don't think I had a good chance to say this to the both of you since the past three days. But…" she smiled kindly, "Al and I are just so glad to have you home again."

Winry stared, touched by the simple belated welcome. "Thanks, Granny." she fixed her glass cerulean eyes upon her sleeping friend again. And let a quiet giggle escape her. "You know something? Even if Ed says that he doesn't have a home, or doesn't need it, he kind of does. We travel a lot, halfway across Amestris in only six months, and he's growing further and further inclined to sleep wherever he wants. Even he knows to act like a guest in towns we come through."

Ed snored a little, then turned on his side, back turned to the three. Winry's warm smile shifted to a fond one. "Basically, he's home everywhere. No matter where or when."

And she smiled at Al. "So he's never without a home. And I'm not either. Especially here. Even if Ed won't say it out loud."

Al mirrored Winry's expression and looked down at the sleeping alchemist. "Ed's such a guy. The road has to be hard on you two. But he's still pushing forward." he scratched his head sheepishly. "It's times like these I wish he really was my older brother."

Pinako laughed at her grandson's remark, saying, "I don't know. I'm not sure if I'd ever raise Ed to be an automail mechanic. He doesn't fit that picture, for some reason."

Winry beamed. "Ed was born for alchemy. I guess it stuck for the last fifteen years."

"How about you, Winry?" Al asked suddenly.

"Me?" she blinked.

"Yeah. What were you born for?"

Winry paused. "Eh. I…"

That was an interesting question. One she seldom pondered on. She thought as a child between two doctors, she'd take up medicine. But…she grew up studying alchemy with Ed. And she really caught on to it as well as he did like a second nature.

She froze as several other thoughts came to mind.

What if she and Ed never met? What if the war never happened? What if her parents were still alive? Would she have followed in their footsteps? Become the doctor she should have been if not for the war? If not for Edward Elric?

…Would it have been worth it?

The girl fell silent for a long time. And Al, catching that look on Pinako's face, regretted asking her that, and backpedaled.

"Uh, Winry!" he stammered, waving his hands before himself. "Forget I ever asked, sorry! I didn't mean to be too persona—I mean, nosy about the 'what ifs' in your life."

She stared at Al, processing his words and she shook her head. "No, Al. It's okay. It's not personal. I just…never thought of it that way."

Winry turned her eyes to the wall clock. "Aw, look at that. It's late. Maybe we—no, you guys should turn in."

The old woman twiddled with her pipe. "So it is. I'd like to get some sleep myself for once."

"I can't sleep now." Al interjected, rubbing his eyes. "I still have some work to do. I think I'll be in my room. Goodnight, Granny, Winry."

"'Night Al." the two women replied.

The pair turned to leave the living room for upstairs. Winry was the last to leave, when she heard some quiet mumbling coming from Ed. She turned back to see his lips moving rapidly, possibly dreaming about something.

"…sequence of atomic mass in descending order," he was mumbling, "another layer for the color of earth…fifteen-minute warning."

Winry shook her head fondly, walking back over to him to readjust the blanket so he'd be warmer.

"…can't process…" he went on, "let it cool off for another…zinc's good for…"

"Shhh." she hushed him, and stroked his head once before whispering, "Goodnight Ed."

**-sss-**

"_Winry!"_

_A panting boy, a much younger Ed, raced down the road in search of his friend. All around him the rain came down hard, lightning and thunder coming together in a frightening combination._

_A combination that he knew Winry didn't like._

_Mud caked his shoes, hair and clothes sopping wet. He felt his nose clogging up, the coughs rising to his throat. But he didn't care._

_He wanted to find her. He wanted to find Winry._

"_Winry! Where are you?" he hollered against the rain. "WINRYYYYYYY!"_

**-sss-**

Gold eyes snapped open in the darkness. Panting a little, Ed gave himself five seconds to calm down and check that he was still in the Rockbells' home. His gaze fell on their distinctly white ceiling, and caught a whiff of that faint smell of oil and grease emanating all around him, and he relaxed. He was back in reality again. He sat up and wiped his face once with his real hand.

_What the hell was that…?_

"Ed?"

Winry's curious voice came from across the room. His eyes found her sitting on the floor, her back against the wall. She'd been watching him. She was still in her yellow shorts and white blouse. Fresh and clean, of course.

"Ed, what's wrong?" she asked, concern on her clayed face.

He shook his head quickly. "Nothing. Just a bad dream."

She perked up and was immediately at his side, startling him. "Are you okay?"

"O-of course I am!" he stuttered, not comfortable with how close she'd brought herself. "It was just a stupid dream! I didn't even know what it was!"

Winry furrowed her brows in contemplation. She wondered what sort of dream he had to make him so jittery. Deciding to be a little more helpful, she offered, "Can I get you anything?"

Ed seemed to compose himself enough to consider that, then mumbled, "Maybe…a glass of water."

She nodded and headed into the kitchen directly. He watched after her retreating back. And somehow, he felt just how restless Winry must be every night; with everyone asleep and nothing to do, living for the days and the nights. Putting himself in her shoes, he could see how unbearable that was. He was amazed how well she took to her situation. He knew he'd crack in her place.

Thinking about it, made Ed all the more determined to get Winry's body back, and put an end to her suffering.

She came back with a full glass, and she knelt beside him to offer it. "Here."

"Thanks." He reached for it with his metal hand. Their hands, both copies, overlapped each other briefly as Ed reached for the glass of water. She let him brush her hand, and swallowed a sound that threatened to rise in her throat when he did. As he drank, Winry's filmed blue eyes scanned the back of her hand, eyeing the small indistinct ridges his automail hand made on her soft, painted skin.

"…Hey, Ed?"

"What?" his glass was half-empty now.

With some hesitance, Winry asked straight out, "Am I a good alchemist?"

Saying Ed was taken off-guard by the question wouldn't hit the mark. Eyebrows raised past his hairline, he responded with, "Where'd this come from? And why are you asking me that?"

She frowned, suddenly doubting herself. "I just want to know, that's all. It would be nice if the answer came from you, was what I thought."

The pair were quiet for a while; Winry staring at the floor hands clasped, Ed staring at his glass of water with an unreadable expression.

He seemed to make up his mind after a while, and answered, "You learned pretty quick for a girl. I'll give you that."

Maybe that wasn't the best answer, when Winry lifted her eyes to him, staring flatly. "That's sexist. And a blow to my self-esteem."

"Don't take it like that." he chided, frowning. "I just told you what I thought, didn't I?"

She considered that for a moment, then decided to probe for both their sakes. She didn't want to argue at this late time of the night. "Okay. Elaborate."

Ed shifted on the sofa to sit up, sighing with the glass in his hand. "To put it, you were the only one who took my interest in alchemy seriously other than Mom. Some of the village kids thought I was a weirdo, and a geek for getting so obsessed. Hell, I got into fights frequently because of that."

The corners of her mouth twitched uneasily hearing that, a faint and brief memory playing in her head before she returned her attention to her childhood friend once more.

"I made stuff for you and Mom, mostly Mom because I was making her happy. I don't know how, but I could tell how sad she was sometimes. No doubt because of…_him._"

Winry didn't have to ask who "him" was. That name was forbidden.

"'Course I made stuff to make you happy too." Ed went on. "It made me glad when you didn't get scared or weirded out with what I can do. I got my own happiness when you started on alchemy too." A faint smile crossed his lips. "And you were learning at a good pace; you weren't too slow or too fast. And you were happy, that was what was most important. So yeah." Ed flashed her a broad smile. "In my opinion, you're excellent at alchemy, with passion."

Winry's bottom lip quivered slightly, couldn't help being touched by her best friend's words. She didn't realize her happiness was as important to him as was Trisha's before. How did she not see that? Maybe it was lurking behind the transmutation flashes and the toothy grins of a young boy she never knew she'd come to be so caring about.

Unwilling to restrain herself, Winry leaned forward to wrap her bare arms around Ed in a hug.

"Thanks." she whispered in his ear.

A red-faced Ed sat stock still on the sofa, engulfed by Winry's embrace. Too shocked to move, or speak. Then, with some hesitation, he reached up to pat her awkwardly on the back with his free hand.

With a shaky sigh, he thought, smiling dimly, _Women. They'll sponge up anything to be happy._

"So are you sure you don't want to tell me what that dream you had was?"

Ed couldn't remember even if he wanted to.

**-sss-**

They left the next morning. Al stayed awake long enough to bid them goodbye. And he caught Ed off-guard with the words, "I won't stop believing in you guys."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ed just mumbled an inaudible response that he refused to repeat for everyone's ears to catch.

"Try dropping in for lunch, won't you?" Pinako told them, grinning broadly. "I'll make all your favorites. As well as yours, Winry. Once you get your body back."

"We will." Winry smiled, happy about two things: one was that they were just miles from the finish line. Two was the freedom to walk in broad daylight once again rather than be stuck in a wooden crate carried by the Major, who seemed quite tearful all over again about the departure. The old woman assured him, chuckling, that even he could drop by anytime as well.

"Ed, how's that?" Winry bounced next to him, suitcase in hand. "A family's waiting for us back here in Resembool. Don't you think it's nice?"

He spared her a side glance before casting brilliant irises back towards the Rockbells' residence, and beyond that, where their old house used to be. The strong wind whipped their hair and clothes as they stood on that small hill, but neither took notice.

Armstrong stood close by, following their gazes, before stating with a firm tone, "Home is where the heart is."

Ed and Winry turned to look at the man, before Ed grinned. "No turning back though, right?"

A chuckle. "Of course."

Winry just smiled, prepared to walk the path with Edward Elric once again. With a heavier suitcase, but lighter spirits.

**End of Chapter 9…FOR REAL**

**A/N: **Sumimasen, minna-san! Hontou ni sumimasen deshita! ;.;

I feel I rushed the ending a little. I guess I didn't want the tomatoes and the eggs to get more rotten than they already are. XD

So, REVIEWS?


	13. The Philosopher's Stone, part 1

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Lyrics ain't mine. I'm borrowing them from a specific band of honest teeny boppers.

**Attached Disclaimer:** Books mentioned in this chapter are in no way non-fictitious. The titles, the authors, the co-authors are strictly fictitious. Referential, but still fictitious.

**A/N:** Now then, meet everyone's faaaaaavorite bookworm. XD

And one last thing: As it is, Ed was born in the winter. I never found out when Winry's birthday was, but I knew it was the same year as he is. But then I altered some to make them…_cuter_. XP

So, Ed was born in the winter of 1899, and Winry came to be in the spring of 1900. Voila. Don't ask why I did this. All I'm saying is, it's CUTE. :3

And the timeline of their childhood, and the house burning, has been pretty much revised. Afterall, I wouldn't call this FMA: TRV if there wasn't going to be sooooo much editing in the original story. XD

Oh and uh, another thing. "Edgestone", Winry's surname in the story, was a name I came up with completely randomly. What I didn't realize was that I just gave her a surname regarding one of Canada's leading private equity firms, _Edgestone Capital Partners_. x.x Ohhhh man. I REALLY had no IDEA! _**HONEST!**_

**Interlude**

Al woke up hours later, just after noon. He yawned, stretching his arms over his head while he fumbled for the clock on his bedside table. Coming up with nothing, moss-green eyes opened to realize that it wasn't there where it should be.

"…Huh? Weird. Where's my clock…?"

The young mechanic scanned his bedroom, and slapped his forehead sleepily. Metal plates, screws and tension cords littered the floor of his bedroom, along with some tools that he'd neglected to put away carefully. With all the junk that was lying around on the floor, it would probably take him four hours to find the clock under all that.

Al rose to sit up and head downstairs, only to trip spectacularly on a 6-point ratchet near his foot. He yelped and landed with a thud. Definitely not going unheard by his grandmother, who gave him a look of utter disapproval once he made it to the living room in his dark green pajamas.

"M…morning, Granny." he said drowsily.

"Morning?" she scoffed. "Look at the clock face, Alphonse! It's afternoon, and you still have yet to clean the worktable!"

Al flinched, staring guiltily at the wall clock overhead; it read 1:15. "Sorry, Granny. I overslept again."

"Indeed." Pinako shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know if I should live the day, but come your wedding you'd better take more responsibility around the house as a man!"

Her grandson balked, wide awake now. "HUH? WEDDING? WHAT?"

"You know what I mean." she told him evenly. "Now do as you're told and tidy up. We have Mr. Davis coming for an appointment in an hour, and I don't commend this place to look like a pigsty."

Without a word, Al obeyed his grandmother as he walked over to the worktable. He sighed. She was right; it's a mess. "I didn't clean up after fixing Ed's arm."

He started folding up the work cloth he used to prevent any scratching from the automail he assembled on the table. "I hope Ed and Winry are a little more careful this time. Especially Ed." he said to himself. "For once, can that guy come here with just the complaint about a screw loose in his arm or—"

Al cut himself off seeing the little joint-fixer sitting innocently on his worktable. "…Huh? Wait. That's—"

And it dawned on his blanching face.

…_OH CRAP!_

The worst was that he'd just jinxed himself.

_ED'S GONNA __**KILL ME!**_

**Fullmetal Alchemist**

**Chapter 10: The Philosopher's Stone**

_Let's get yourself  
__Sound off your spirit to its limit  
__Try again  
__Break that wall again and again_

_Let's get yourself  
__Scream till your body withers  
__Change your way  
__To the future,  
__Which changes even more than the past_

If there was anything Edward Elric liked better than getting things done fast, it was how they got done. An old saying went, "All good things come to those who wait."

Now they were dead wrong.

Ed had his nose pressed up to the windowpane, anticipating their return to Central while munching down on a beef sandwich. If people had been telling him to relax throughout the whole journey he'd just pop. He'd never relaxed, though he wanted that. And he couldn't wait anymore either; he'd been out on the road with Winry forcing everything and everyone to come to him hoping for answers. They were so close to their goal, and he could almost touch that mystical blood-red stone, reach for it with his hands. He didn't want to wait anymore, not with how far they'd come, and how close they were to recovery.

Ed wasn't about to let anything distract him from these rare moments of happiness. Except Winry's sudden assertion beside him to Armstrong, "—probably going to ask the Stone to make him tall enough to ride the Ferris Wheel or something."

The muse train ended.

"WHO'S SO SHORT HE CAN'T SEE THE TICKET VENDOR FROM OVER THE BOOTH?"

**-sss-**

Winry didn't stop laughing until they were at the Central train station, much to Ed's chagrin as he stormed off the train. He almost forgot that he even had luggage with him, when the Major followed after the pair with all their belongings.

"Ed, stop!" Winry called out to him, still laughing. "Come on, it was just a joke! I'm sorry!"

He was so far ahead of the other two, ignoring his chum and plundering on towards the exit. She sighed. _And I thought he'd lighten up more going to the library._

Ed wasn't the only one excited enough to run all the way to the library. Unlike him though, Winry could still exercise some self-control over her impulses. But she could hardly wait herself. She was going to be human again, thanks to Doctor Marcoh. No longer a doll, or a breakable shell of plaster and clay. She'd be Winry Edgestone once more; a human being. She fought to keep her face taut; if she expanded her mouth any further into an ear-splitting grin…

…well, she didn't want to think about it.

"Miss Winry."

She tilted her head up to the Major, who gave a small salute. "I will be leaving you and Edward Elric for headquarters. We part ways as soon as we exit the station."

Winry actually felt saddened by the quick farewell. "Eh? Really?"

In truth, she was just getting attached to the benevolent Armstrong. He wasn't terrible company. Heck, she and Ed would've leapt out of the window at the first chance they'd have if he was.

And speaking of the bean…

"Oh? What was that? Is this where we part?" The prodigy magically appeared beside Winry(who shrieked), apparently with feelings opposing hers as he waved dramatically to the Major. "Good job! I'm so sad to see you off! Bye-bye!"

He didn't see what was coming with his words, did he?

Nope.

"I AM SAD AS WELL, EDWARD ELRIC!" Armstrong boomed, wrapping Ed in a deathly embrace with tears in his eyes. And sparkles pinker than peonies. "IT WAS TRULY A MEMORABLE JOURNEY! MAY WE MEET EACH OTHER AGAIN!"

Winry was left to stand at the side, irked and exhausted within the brief seconds of madness.

"Major Armstrong!" a woman's voice sounded from behind the addressee. He turned and saluted.

"Good work, Second Lt. Ross and Sgt. Brosh." The Major greeted the new arrivals; a woman with shining dark hair in a boy's cut and a male official with nape-length dark blonde hair.

The man, Brosh, noticed the boy still tucked under Armstrong's arm, and started. "Oh! Are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Pulling himself free of the giant's grasp, Ed straightened himself as soon as he was noticed. "Yeah. Edward Elric. And this is my friend, Winry Edgestone." he gestured to her, who smiled at the other two.

"Nice to meet you." she greeted.

Brosh shook hands vigorously with the boy genius. "This is an honor! I never thought we'd meet like this!"

Ed responded with a grin. "I don't hang around much at HQ so I guess—"

He cut off when Brosh, unable to resist meeting cute girls like Winry, moved with his hand outstretched towards her. "Wow! Hello there!"

It all happened very quickly.

One moment, Ed was offered a handshake with the Second Lt., the next, out of fear for Winry's "safety", he'd tackled the Sergeant and they both fell to the ground. And in the most _awkward_ position of all things. Ed found himself staring into the wide green eyes of Sergeant Brosh. And everyone in the station was gaping openly at them.

Including Winry.

Ed sprung to his feet with a yelp. "Th-th-th-there was a spider on your jacket and I wanted to get it is all!"

In light of everything pleasant and understandable, Edward Elric became the target of all gaydars on the platform.

**-sss-**

"Um, Ed. Are you okay?" his partner whispered in his ear. He grunted with a red face, still unable to look ahead. And Winry admitted quietly to herself that what she witnessed today wasn't funny to her. _At all_.

They sat side-by-side in the escort car Central HQ sent for them. And their escorts happened to be their two new acquaintances. Brosh, looking better than the little "fiasco" back at the station, sat back and explained the situation. "According to East HQ's report, Scar has yet to be apprehended, and until the situation is under control, we shall act as your escorts."

"While we are not as capable as the Major, we confide in our potential as bodyguards, so please rest assured." Ross filled in after.

Ed waved a hand in understanding. "Okay, okay I get it. I just don't like the idea of being hounded by a couple of grown-ups."

Winry nudged him with her elbow. "Ed, you're supposed to say 'thank you'."

Sgt. Brosh laughed. "That's alright! We understand your feelings about this. Besides, don't small people tend to feel undermined by taller people?"

Winry turned to face him horror-stricken, face whiter than the plaster of her body. And the chaos inside the little car followed.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD GET STOMPED ON BY AN ANT?" The boy wonder roared with rage, scaring the bejesus out of his two escorts. His gloved maniacal hands reaching out for their throats.

"Ed, NO!" Winry screamed, restraining him with her arms around his waist. "Get a hold of yourself! We're on the road for Pete's sake!"

The Sergeant stuttered, "M-Major Elric, please calm down! I didn't mean small! I meant…er…!"

Then by a miracle, Ed's tyranny persisted when he spotted something out the car window, and completely forgetting about the whole thing, his face shifted into a look of kiddish excitement. "AH! WINRY, LOOK! THERE IT IS!"

She ceased and followed his pointing finger, and she gasped. "OOH! We're here!"

The National Central Library, boasting the greatest collection of books within the nation of Amestris. It stood proud and strong upon its foundation before the pair and their company. For a split second, Ed thought the grand high entrance expanded like a welcome for them.

"There are so many books that people claim you can repeat your life for a hundred times, but you'd still only be halfway reading them all." Ross stated from behind them. "The first branch that you're looking for lies to the west of it. Research files, history records, and name registries are stored there…"

"Well come on! What are we waiting for?" Ed urged impatiently. "Let's go to the first branch! Winry come on!" Sparing nothing else, he set off westward.

"Hold on there!" Brosh called after the alchemist. "There's something else we need to tell you!"

Winry held back long enough to ask, "What is it?"

Second Lt. Ross looked her directly in the eye saying, "Some days prior, all the books inside the first branch were burned in a mysterious fire."

Cerulean glass eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in alarm. "WHAT?"

Sure enough, they heard the shout of one Edward Elric from up ahead.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" he cried out, a mix of bewilderment and anger in his tone of voice. Before him, where the vast archive of registries were once arranged and kept, lay the scorched remains of a once majestic section of Central Library.

**-sss-**

"Colonel Mustang."

He turned his head to see the General enter Central HQ. His left ear bandaged and still in the process of healing.

"Why it's General Halcrow." he remarked politely. "How is your injury?"

"It won't prevent me from working. The matter of Scar is more important than that." Halcrow kept with Mustang's pace as they walked down the corridor. "I want to know how a single man caused so much and why, despite mobilizing a large number of men, he hasn't been apprehended yet."

"We are continuing the search with every available resource at hand, so if you gave us more time…" the latter began.

The General cut him off briskly. "I want results, not just words. At this rate, we'll be forced to issue a warning to the entire East area."

And with that, Halcrow dismissed himself, followed by his two subordinates. Beside the Colonel, Second Lt. Havoc snorted.

"I thought it was funny for the old codger to drop in from the New Optain Branch. Turns out he came here just to chew you out." he commented. "I'd sure hate to be in your position, Colonel."

"You're only afraid of when your own position will be changed, so just be quiet." Mustang retorted coolly as they continued. "Although, I also want this case to be wrapped as soon as possible. It's wiser to nip in the bud when it comes to future threats."

They entered the Colonel's office, and he sat quickly in his chair behind his desk. "On the other hand, my reputation will grow even at Central by taking care of these unwieldy criminal cases."

Havoc laid the map out for him.

"'Turn misfortune into gold.'" Roy smiled cunningly from behind his folded hands. "I'll be more resourceful, and use what I can to get promoted. Until I gain full authority over the military in my position as the Fuhrer."

"I believe it would be best if you were to refrain from saying anything inappropriate, Colonel." Lieutenant Hawkeye wisely reminded him.

Mustang nodded, smirking. "Yes, I'll be very careful."

**-sss-**

Meanwhile, back at the National Library, a crisis had been in full circle. Starting with Ed's chaotic rampage around the backgarden of the library after feasting his eyes on the work of a supposed arsonist, then Winry "misplacing" her _very_ loose foot after tripping on a tree root when she tried to calm her partner down, much to the horror of a few witnesses and a much dismayed Edward Elric, then the irrevocable and inevitable conclusion that…

Dr. Marcoh's notes were in no way, revivable. The tragedy of the situation for them both nearly bordered on amusement.

But their diminished hopes were revived by a lead; Sheska.

According to one of the librarians working in the main branch, Sheska knew more of the library than anyone alive. "A bookworm to the letter", they had said.

So with another trip in their escort car(and more frantic private inspections of the foot by Ed and Winry), they went to pay a visit to Sheska's home; a modest brick house with a slanted roof and three windows in front, and the double wooden doors bearing a lionhead doorknocker.

"Okay, this is it." Ed stepped up to the doors and knocked twice. No answer. He knocked again. Still nothing. "Huh…?"

"Is she not in?" Brosh wondered.

"The lights are on, though." Winry observed, her gaze on one of the windows.

"Then she's definitely here." Ed confirmed. And he pushed the door open. "Hello-?"

And he froze stark. They all did.

"What the—!"

Everywhere they looked, from left to right were books. Hundreds, thousands, _mountains_ of books rose high to the ceiling and strewn everywhere. It was a metropolis of books.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Ed exclaimed, staring at the forest of volumes before him.

"Does someone really live here?" Brosh agreed with him, gaping.

The four entered the maze, calling for the girl Sheska. No one answered.

"Ms. Sheska? Are you here?" Ross called out, as apprehensive as her partner.

_Who the hell can live in here…?_ Ed wondered, squeezing his way through. "What's with all these books?"

"They told us Ms. Sheska was a bookworm," Winry added, yelping when a thick book entitled, "The Pentacle Gods, by Clyde Woodward" fell on her, "But I didn't think she was _this_ into reading!"

Ed struggled his way through, nearly tripping over "The Death of an Artisan, by Zoë Castro", and narrowly avoided causing an avalanche of books to fall on him. "Damn! Where is this Sheska person?"

"…Somebody…"

Winry stiffened at the unfamiliar voice, and she cast her eyes around. It sounded quite close to her.

"Help me…!" came the small voice again.

This time, Ed heard it too. And he caught up with Winry, who'd managed to squeeze through a narrow section. He looked at her apprehensively. "Hey. You hear that?"

She answered with a nod, exchanging glances with him. "Could that be…Miss Sheska?"

"…Please help me!"

The pair stiffened at the muffled shout coming from the right. Where a heap of volumes seemed to have toppled over. Over a _certain someone._

"Please help meeeee!" the "someone" wailed once more from underneath the pile. And it sent Ed and Winry off their rockers.

"Oh my God!" They both cried out, making for the heap to rescue the poor avalanche victim.

"Sergeant! Second Lt.!" Ed hollered to their escorts. "I think we found her! I think we found Sheska!"

Some minutes later, a much disheveled but otherwise breathing Sheska emerged from the pile, and was left to sit sprawled on the floor, adjusting her glasses nervously. "Th-thank you so much! And I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention when a pile of books was tumbling down! I thought I was going to die! Thank you again so very much!"

"You're welcome…" was the response from the exhausted foursome.

**-sss-**

After a brief introduction from the two alchemists and the officials accompanying them, the former librarian introduced herself.

"Yes, I'm Sheska." she confirmed for them. "I love books and I was very happy to be employed by the Central Library. But…" she bowed her head in shame, "because I loved books too much, I forgot that I was supposed to be working, and read books instead so I got fired."

They stayed silent as she continued. "I have to work because I want to put my sick mother in a better hospital, but…" Sheska hunched up her shoulders, shaking, "I'm clumsy at doing anything other than reading books and I can't get work anywhere…! Yes, I'm a useless human being…! The garbage of society…!" she began to bemoan.

Winry was stunned to hear the other woman say those words. "W-wait! You shouldn't say that! No one's that incapable of anything!"

But Sheska shook her head vigorously from side to side, her face in her hands. "No! No, it's true! I really can't do anything to help Mother, let alone feed myself! I'm so pathetic! I'm at the bottom of the food chain! I'm lower than plankton!"

…_Is there a screw loose in this woman…?_ Ed wondered, compassion rated from zero to nine, settled at rock bottom. He cleared his throat. "Uh…listen. There's something we want to ask you. Do you know anything about the research files written by Tim Marcoh?"

Sheska took a moment to ponder, then her face lit up in recall. "Oh! Yes I remember! I remember those very well. They were handwritten among the printed books, and they were shoved into a bookshelf out of their genre."

Ed's breath hitched in his throat. Winry's would have too, if she had any lungs. "…They really were at the branch…which means…"

They sunk to the floor as failures. "…that they're ashes now…"

How could this have happened? They'd come so close. Was this the dead end?

_Dammit…!_ Ed cursed mentally, in spite of the pooling in his eyes. _If I just knew whichever bastard was responsible for the fire, I'd go right over there and…and…!_

Words, whether in thought or spoken aloud, couldn't explain the distorted pictures of Ed and the criminal flashing across the boy genius' wicked mind.

Winry just lay there, unmoving and frighteningly still(for a doll). "…Dr. Marcoh's notes…" she whimpered. She really could have cried right about now.

The Stone…the Philosopher's Stone…once so close but now, beyond their reach as before. As always.

The worry lines on Ross' forehead tightened as she quietly stated, "Major Elric, perhaps we should get going now."

Silence, then a mumbled, "Roger."

The pair picked themselves up slowly from the ground, Winry's hand automatically searching for Ed's gloved one and clutching it in soft yet clammy fingers.

"It's back to the drawing board again…" Ed groaned, unrecovered, numb from head to toe, and unaware of his partner's hand in his.

"We're so sorry for wasting your time…" was Winry's meek apology towards a puzzled Sheska, who immediately interrupted their grieving spell.

"Ex…excuse me…" she interjected. "Did you want to read those research documents?"

Ed nodded slowly, still on their way out after the two officials. "Yes, but now there's no way we can—"

"But I remember all of what was written."

Those eight words rang louder than the clock tower bells, and they hung in the air over the pair's heads. Before they whirled on the bookworm with identical looks of "WHAT?" on their faces.

"It's because," Sheska explained brightly, "I remember everything written in a book after reading it once. Word for word, without one mistake."

Ed and Winry continued to fix their wide-eyed(and open-mouthed) stares on her, bringing her to say, "This will take some time, but would you two like it if I make a copy of those documents?"

The answer was immediate, hands in the air. "PLEASE!"

Ed grabbed Sheska's hands in actual gratitude, ready to cry again. "THANK YOU, MS. BOOK-WORM!"

Winry was already tossing white, newly alchemized confetti in the air in an unsuppressed bout of joy, screaming, "Eeeee!" every ten seconds. And she didn't stop until they were outside and back into their escort car.

Rushing up to Ed, she tackled him from behind and went, "Eeeee!" again hanging from his neck, to his embarrassment.

"Hey!" he retorted, grabbing her arms. "Winry, get off me!"

"Ed we're going to be normal again!" she squealed, ecstatic. "We'll be cured at last!"

He wished he could smile like her. Laugh out loud like her. Pump his fist in the air yelling "VICTORY!" for all of Amestris to hear. But he couldn't.

Plaster and large ratios of it were cutting off his circulation, and his respiration altogether. Winry wasn't some 110-pound girl. She was a 360-pound living _doll_. And she was literally weighing him down.

"…Ack…!" he choked, blue in the face, before falling face forward and passing out on the sidewalk, to Winry's and their escorts' horror.

"Eek! Ed!"

**-sss-**

Sheska had given them the promise that the documents would be done within the week, and that she'd call them at the military dorms once they were done.

Ed stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. It was evening by the time they were allowed to return to their dorm. In his absence, the Colonel had been leaving behind a trail of paperwork for the Fullmetal Alchemist to deal with. The more to add to his growing migraine after he'd just been released from the clinic after his fainting spell earlier that morning. If he wasn't still dizzy, he would've thrown the smug bastard's desk out the window, along with him in that grey swivel chair. Ed sighed and ran a metal hand through his hair, dripping on the green carpet of their private dorm.

_That crazy Colonel…like I didn't have enough to worry on my hands, he gives me stupid papers to sign. _he sulked, sitting at the foot of his bed, elbows resting on his knees. _And I can't believe Winry forgot just how heavy she is in that body. She almost killed me…!_

Ed sometimes wondered what possessed him to want to use plaster on her. And it usually came down to the fact that he didn't have time to think back then.

**-sss-**

_**Six months ago…**_

_Frantic but determined hands dragged and pushed two wooden buckets of water back into the house._

_Shaky gloved hands stirred the white, tepid mixture and prepared for transmutation._

**-sss-**

A dour grin and it vanished. Fullmetal sighed again, head tilted upwards.

"Things were crazy back then…" he muttered to the white ceiling, before looking back down at his hands. His mismatched hands of equal proportion and size. One of them had helped return Winry to him all those nights ago. And with the same hand, he'd bring them both back.

But he smiled again at the thought of getting his limbs back, and without further use of his automail he was a free man.

Then the smile waned once more. _…Maybe not too free._

Images of Scar ran through his mind, particularly those of that day. And Ed scowled remembering it. Remembering him. And what he'd done.

_That bastard…really killed Nina and her father. Who the hell did he think he was? Did he really pass judgment onto Nina as his god's right-hand? Did he really feel like she deserved to die?_

Hinges squeaked as he balled his metal hand into a tight fist.

_A goddamn bastard like him killing an innocent…she was a victim!_

Ed didn't care what happened to Shou Tucker. He'd been a horrible father. He couldn't imagine Nina having had someone like him for a parent. And the worst was that…

The Life-binding Alchemist reminded him of…_him._

The alchemist growled low in his throat at the thought. _Bloody typical. They're all the same…! Ditching their lovely wives and kids for something better._

Ed pinched the bridge of his nose in disgust. He really didn't need to think about the past. He wanted to start fresh. He got to his feet and walked over to his closet to change into a nightshirt. He picked out the long grey cotton one he normally felt best to sleep in during cold nights like these. His blue boxers, newly washed, were on. He dried his hair quickly with the towel and used a comb and ran it through the tangles. Ed knew he could've spared himself the trouble, and alchemized his hair to effectively dry it. He didn't know why, but he wasn't as reliant on alchemy as he expected to be. Maybe it was the result of being taught under someone like his teacher. Something about conserving energy or what it was she'd been telling them.

The gold-haired boy went to sit on his bed again to continue his brooding session. He had to focus. Sheska was already busy at the task of reviving Dr. Marcoh's documents so there's nothing to worry about. For some reason, he actually believed along with Winry that she had such a gift. Maybe it was because of that bright, earnest face the woman had when she said it, a funny contrast to how she'd been in the beginning; pitiful and lacking self-esteem.

The documents were no longer a problem. But what he had to worry about was the serial killer Scar. The military was still out there searching for him, and last he heard, they hadn't gotten any closer to his blood trail. There were so many things he couldn't forgive Scar for, starting with Nina and Alexander. They were casualties, for no better cause.

And Ed also couldn't forgive Scar for what he did to Winry. If she had been in her real body, she really could have been killed. He…wouldn't have ever seen her again…

Ed continued to be troubled by the fact that as long as the serial killer was out there, he and Winry weren't safe to walk the streets of Central. And maybe even Amestris altogether. As alchemists.

He paused. _Wait…no. That's not it. Scar didn't come after us because we were alchemists. He didn't come after __**me**__ just for that reason. _Ed looked up slightly._ My status as a State Alchemist drew him to me._

He frowned at the carpeting. If that was so, the only possible way to shake a guy like him off completely would be if…he quit the military.

Ed held his chin in thought. Not that he had anything against the idea. He didn't mind leaving the military. It was probably something he'd been planning to do all along. The money he'd have left in his account would be enough to support him and Winry until they found a house and got settled down. Afterall, his sole purpose for joining the forces was so that he could do some personal research with Winry about the Philosopher's Stone.

So, the faster they find what they've been looking for, the sooner he could quit the military and shake Scar off his trail.

The alchemist rose from his seat on the bed, grinning with new resolve. "Yeah. That's all it takes."

"What's all it takes?"

He jumped at Winry's voice in the doorway of his side of their dorm, and quickly answered, "Winry? What?"

"Ed, I asked the question." she sighed.

He scratched his head. "It's nothing. Anyway, where've you been?"

She smiled. "I went back to Miss Sheska's house to ask her for any good books to read. Especially the series types."

"Yeah?" Ed blinked. "Why'd you go all the way there when you could have just gone to the Central library?"

"Well, it's because she knows almost all of the library and the books in their inventory." Winry shrugged. "So I thought it couldn't hurt to ask if she knew any stories cut into books."

Ed sat back on his bed with a tired sigh. "So what did you dig up?"

Winry produced a single sheet of paper. "I got a list of a series of books from her that she recommended. Apparently, they're sort of, cheap dime novels that were written by various authors, and even though the stories are all different, they all congregate on one single plot."

Ed sat confused, not getting it. "…What?"

She tucked her bottom lip. "Yeah, I don't get it either. Anyway, I'm going to borrow them tomorrow from the library." Her eyes scanned the listing. He got up to stand next to her and read the list with her.

"…These are dime novels?" he remarked, skeptical.

Winry frowned. "…Ed?"

His metal finger pointed at one entitled, "Arturia: The British Legacy". "That doesn't sound like a title a cheap dime novel would have."

Another shrug. "Miss Sheska does have good taste in books. Besides, 'never judge a book by its cover', right?"

Nose sigh from Ed. "How many books in all?"

"…Nine." Winry counted with her index finger.

Ed fixed his face to be flat. "They better be dime novels." he checked the list again.

"_**Arturia: The British Legacy" by Karle Einzbern, co-written with Sherman Einzbern  
**_"_**The Bondage by Blood" by Samara Gordon  
**_"_**The Golden Rule" by Theodore Thompson  
**_"_**Requiem of an Oath" by Rayne Thompson  
**_"_**In the Gods' Hands" by Irene Einzbern  
**_"_**Casting Love" by Calvin Smith  
**_"_**The Sword of False Truths" by Madison Smith  
**_"_**Zero in One" by Andre Mitchell  
**_"_**Faith in You" by Bo Aylward, co-written with Roy Mustang**_

The pair froze, re-reading the last author's name.

"SAY WHAT?" Ed blurted out, jaw hanging. "That can't be! Gotta be a mistake, I mean…!"

Winry read with glass eyes squinted in such a way that made Ed almost want to complain about how she stretched her face enough to tear the fibers in the clay, to check if they were really reading it right. "…No. It's really…the Colonel's name." she made out blankly.

Ed slapped his left hand over his eyes. "There's only one Roy Mustang in this entire world, and I'd be damned to hell if there was actually another one running around out there writing books!"

Winry, smiling weirdly, actually imagined the Colonel's clone at the typewriter, co-writing with some fellow author while tossing used papers into the trash bin behind them.

Shaking his head still, Ed sat back down on his bed. For the first time, he felt the effects of his tiresome day taking its toll on him. "I think I'll go to sleep now. And I'll ask the Colonel about that tomorrow."

His partner nodded his way. "Yeah. Ed, you do look tired. You should turn in."

"Yeah…"

He was out before his head even hit the pillow. The next thing she knew, he was snoring away like a baby, his hand in its usual spot on his tummy. And Winry giggled. She needed to have a camera with her everytime he slept like that.

Outside his window, the first few drops came down, and it quickly became a rattling downpour. The girl watched the raindrops hit the windowpane contentedly and sighed.

This was it. They were going to get their bodies back very soon.

Winry smiled to herself as she turned off the lights in Ed's room. "It won't be long now…"

_That rain…is going to feel really good._

**End of Chapter 10, part 1**

**A/N:** Oh my God, I'm doing it again! Butchering chapters into a bajillion more parts!

Gomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen…! T-T

Fangirls like -cough_love_cough- to imagine Edward Elric fresh out of the shower with nothing but a towel to cover his…teehee…endowments? XD

I'm sooooooo bad. LOL

Anyway, I feel kind of bad leaving it at that. But some people seemed to want more Ed POV after all the Winry POV I've been handing out. So I did you guys some justice. I mean, I hope I did anyway.

And about the books? And the Colonel? –cough- Who knows? –whistles-

Review, please:D

And gesh what? THE OMAKES ARE BACK!

**OMAKE 1**

Al: -fumbling around in his bed-

Al: Huh? Weird. Where's my c—(censored for the kiddies. Just guess.)

**OMAKE 2**

Winry: -sitting on a wall, humming to herself-

-gust of wind blows in and pushes Winry off the wall-

Winry: EEEEEEEK! –smashes into a million pieces on the ground-

Kid: -passes by singing- Winry Edgestone sat on the wall, Winry Edgestone had a great fall, all the Fuhrer's soldiers and all the glue of Hagaren, couldn't put Winry together again!

**OMAKE 3**

Ed: -stumbles on a book in the library entitled, "Kama Sutra for the Young and Disabled"-

Ed: -owl eyes- OMFG! I FOUND IT! I'LL BE CURED ONCE AND FOR ALL!

**OMAKE 4**

Al: -finds what he's been looking for- YES, I FOUND IT! I FOUND IT!

Pinako: -walks unexpectedly into the room and gapes- …ALPHONSE ROCKBELL! YOU DROP THAT IMMEDIATELY AND COME CLEAN WITH ME!

Al: Oh shit!

**OMAKE 5**

Winry: -walks in earlier than expected of the story- Hi Ed, I'm ba— -stares at towel-less Ed-

-a towel-less Ed stares back-

Winry: …KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! –runs back out and shuts the door-

2nd Lt. Ross: Miss Winry! What's wrong?

Winry: -crouching facing the wall while shaking- S-s-s-something…grew…

**OMAKE 6**

Gen. Halcrow: Have you apprehended that culprit yet?

Mustang: No, sir. As of now, that fellow Michael Jackson is still at large.

**A/N: **…Uh…not as funny as my last ones, but oh well.


	14. The Philosopher's Stone, part 2

**Disclaimer:** FMA? T'ain't mine to begin with. Otherwise, it would have been like THIS.

**Additional Disclaimer:** Lyrics ain't mine. I'm borrowing them from a specific band of honest teeny boppers.

**A/N:** HOMG YES I'M BACK! OMGOMGOMG! AT LAST! AFTER DAYS OF NO REST FOR MY POOR BRAIN, I CAN FINALLY SIT DOWN AND TYPE SOMETHING FOR **FUN!** XDDDDDDD

Reader: THAT GIVES YOU NO EXCUSE NOT TO UPDATE, YOU TURD! –throws a pineapple-

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! HAVE MERCY! X.x Anyway, I can at least have the decency to post this chapter up even though we still have a LONG way to go. XD Forgive me for having gone hiatus for this long. I have an education that needs more attention than this so please don't leave me. D:

**Continuation of Chapter 10**

Colonel Roy Mustang was a man of many ambitions. He aspired much, fulfilled to gain, built to earn, and benefited from his work. From _their_ work. He did his duties faithfully, but not responsibly. It was frequent that one or two of his subordinates would cover the task for him when he was 'too busy'. Ten years of being in the military had not changed the Colonel. A reasonable, unsurpassable and _extremely_ lazy official.

And Edward Elric hated him.

_**SLAM!**_

"Good morning, Major—" the secretary at the front desk began to greet him, and cut off her words in fright.

_**SLAM!**_

"Morning, Edward! Busy day—?" one of the officers started to say, then pinned himself to the wall to avoid getting bowled over.

_**SLAM!**_

"Good morning, Edward!" Sergeant Falman greeted. And stared as another door met its demise at the hands of Fullmetal. Luckily, this door was the last of his victims. Behind the door that once swung merrily on its hinges sat the Colonel from behind his desk, grinning ear-to-ear for a reason that Ed didn't take a liking to.

"…Gooooood morning, Fullmetal." Mustang, the last person Ed wanted to see early in the morning, greeted him cheerfully. "Do you have the reports back from East City?"

Without answering, Ed crossed the distance between himself and the desk in four thunderous strides and threw the folders onto the surface with a loud crack.

"Here are your…(he thought to insert 'goddamn' in the sentence but decided against it)…reports, sir." Ed responded stiffly, one index finger curling in semi-reflex.

The Colonel simply answered with a smirk that irritated him to no end. Actually, on any given day would it have just irritated him. Today, it was snappage hour.

"I'M NOT YOUR FREAKING ERRAND BOY, YOU BROWN-NOSING PRICK!" the boy genius roared out of fury, arms a-flailing.

"Certainly not, Fullmetal." Mustang answered calmly, his hands pressed together in prayer with eyes closed. "But I couldn't possibly move too much from my office since I'm a man of great importance. I need to be here everyday, to ensure all's well in our little department."

Ed grinded his teeth. "It would cut a lot of people some slack if you'd get your ass off your chair to get your reports from the division _next door,_ still!"

"You've been messy since last week. I've been cleaning up after you." the Colonel leaned back on his swivel chair in a relaxed position. "You owe me this much."

"My dignity as Major isn't worth that…!" Ed bit manically, trembling from head to toe. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to be responsible for the murder of one Roy Mustang. And the thing was, he still needed the only source of valuable information available in HQ.

Perhaps with perfect timing, Lieutenant Hawkeye chose to enter with the Colonel's paperwork, to his 'delight'. "Colonel, would you please see to these documents? We need to put these into filing and give the feedback as soon as possible."

Grunting, Mustang nodded. "The case with Scar has yet to be sorted out. East City isn't a lot of help…"

Hawkeye just smiled at him in her own placid way. "Persevere till then, sir." And she left the room, greeting Ed on the way out as he saluted.

"Still no sign of him, then?" Ed suddenly put in, looking grave.

"He's somewhere in the sewers, this much we can attest to." A sigh from the older man. "It would be easier if we could send someone to infiltrate underground but that's a suicide mission. We don't know Scar's exact position so calling for an ambush is off."

Ed looked away, wondering if it was really okay to let Winry outside today. Scar wasn't a man afraid of committing murder in broad daylight. Somehow, he had to trust their two bodyguards with her safety when he wasn't around.

_The sooner we get our bodies back, the better._

"Fullmetal, is there anything you'd like to discuss? I need to…get busy." Mustang struggled uncomfortably with the words 'get busy'. Something Ed took particular, secret joy in. But he had more important things to do than harass his superior, so he turned on his heel towards the now-squeaky door(he really was pushing his luck).

Then something interesting came to mind.

Ed turned back. "Colonel. I want to ask you something."

"Yes?" he responded without looking up.

Ed shoved his hands into his pockets. "Last night, Winry brought in this list of books she wanted to read while waiting for Sheska to call us. And at the bottom of the book list, your name popped up."

Mustang tore his eyes from the documents to his subordinate with mild curiosity. "Oh? Really?"

"Yeah." Ed angled his head slightly to the left, staring at the Colonel's face while feigning indifference. "'Faith in You', by Bo Aylward, co-written with Roy Mustang. That's your name, isn't it?"

Silence.

"So…did you write that book? Or is it someone just using the name as their _nom de plume_? Which coincidentally happened to be your name?" Ed pressed on, watching the Colonel's facial expressions carefully. Unfortunately, if he had something to hide beneath that calculating visage, he was good at concealing it. What did the Colonel have to hide from him about the book anyway?

"…I might have written that book."

Ed arched a brow. "Huh…? You might have? What's that supposed to mean?"

Mustang paused before grinning at him, something unreadable in his eyes. "As I said, I might have."

The young alchemist scowled. "That's not an answer!" but before the Colonel could say anything else, Ed turned and left his office with an impatient huff.

_Screw it. If he doesn't wanna say anything, he doesn't have to. Yeesh!_

Some seconds after Fullmetal left, the Colonel, sitting alone in his office, felt for the handle of his bottommost drawer and drew it open half-way. Inside, half-buried amongst fading folders, lay a small box meant to hold a ring. Indeed, opening it, a single steel ring sat inside without a trace of dullness on its engraved surface. Wordlessly, he lifted it out and examined it in the sunlight pouring from the window behind him.

"…"

**-sss-**

_If there was a dogged chance that he could survive the inevitable, then why was he still here? In a place that he called Heaven, so many innocents…caught up in the chaos he himself caused for the sake of others so that they would live. His ideal notwithstanding. His father destroyed by the very ideal that he tried to fulfill. Just as he would be. Standing in the heat, he realized…_

"_Killing hundreds to save thousands…slaying thousands to save millions…why didn't I foresee it…? How can I stop it?"_

_Broken like the countless swords he'd forged, he fell on hands and knees, his skin burned on the surface and underneath. A welling sensation in his heart, and he cried. He deserved to die._

"_Father…where have I gone wrong? Is there no salvation for every individual's life? Why not save a thousand lives without the need to slaughter a few hundred people in turn?"_

_His laments carried into the smoke-filled air, choking on bitter tears. He deserved to die. He really deserved to die…_

…_No. It was __**he**__ that should die._

_If he could be granted just that one request, then yes…even if losing several million other lives to the cause he would bring about, then yes…let him die._

_Let the both of them die._

Winry sat quietly at a vacant table in a private room of the library, completely immersed in the book she was reading, while her two escorts waited outside the doors. Transfixed with the moving plot, she blinked a few times, compassionate towards the man in the story.

_It's tragic…he couldn't save everyone after all. No matter what he did…_

She planned to spend the rest of the day reading in the library. Sheska was busy making a copy of Marcoh's notes and Ed's whereabouts for the day were unknown, so she might as well kill time reading.

_I really hope she can do this…_ she thought, biting her lower lip. It wasn't soft like her real one. Definitely some life-like texture, but it was a distant comparison to actual skin. And Winry couldn't wait to eat and sleep, and do all the things that normal people could do again. God knows how long her body had been gone. Since their mission began, she'd been secretly ardent, yearning to retrieve herself from beyond the Gate. And she wasn't quite sure if that Gate beyond this earthly realm would allow her to have it back. Allow Ed to have his arm and leg back.

Her eyes reflecting her worry, Winry tried to shake her head out of it. _It's no use thinking like that since we've gotten this far. And we're lucky to have found Ms. Sheska along the way._

She felt something grow in her chest, hope possibly, and was surprised. Her body never reacted to her emotions. Facial expressions aside, it wouldn't be able to. Her soul wasn't completely compatible with a man-made vessel for her existence to be preserved on this plane of reality. She placed a hand over the place where her heart was supposed to be.

…_I couldn't be adjusting to this body…am I?_

A faint thumping sound jostled her out of her thoughts; the book she was reading had slipped from her lap onto the floor.

"Oops!" Winry pushed back the chair and leaned over to pick it back up. Blue eyes falling upon its title, her mind stirred with the story. "A dream that this man thought he could accomplish easily…abandoning his ideal out of bad respite."

A wish that sounded so simple yet was so difficult to do. Completely different from hers and Ed's dream.

But…did that mean theirs was more achievable than his?

**-sss-**

Gloomy as it was underground, it was refuge from the troubles brewing above. The man Scar, unrelenting towards his victims, intended to finish what God sent him out to do. For the meantime however, he needed to keep a lower profile from now on. Something a little difficult to do after recently. He glowered as he walked along the tunnel he'd been following for half a day now. It had been more than three days past since his excursion with the Fullmetal Alchemist and the military itself. He'd wipe them out with a single hand. Oh, he really would. Starting with the boy and his friend…

A noise caught his attention, and Scar stiffened. Twisting around to catch the intruder within his peripheral vision, he managed to make out a pair of beady eyes gleaming in the darkness. Hungry, famished for his blood. The thing, a bulking hunk of pure voracity, emerged to charge at him as he braced himself, his right arm at the ready.

Outside in the daylight, passersby cried out in confusion as one of the tunnels gave way to a deafening explosion and collapsed.

**-sss-**

"Sir!" Sergeant. Fuery came bursting into the Colonel's office looking harassed. "A report concerning an explosion occurred close in the outskirts of Central! We think it may have been that man Scar's doing!"

Mustang furrowed his brows and sent out an order of, "Alert Havoc and get a team to investigate the site of the disturbance! And if anything alive emerges from the rubble, shoot on sight!"

"Y-yessir." Fuery departed with a salute.

The Colonel sat back with a heaving sigh. His hand enclosing on the strange ring he'd been looking at for a while. And he smiled dourly, chastising himself.

_Without benefits…I can do this. You'll see. I haven't gone to the dogs yet, my dear._

**-sss-**

"I'm sorry! Because there were so many pages, it took five full days to complete!" Sheska arranged the papers by stack on the table and presented them happily to her visitors. "Ta-da! These are the duplicates of Mr. Tim Marcoh's research documents!"

They could but only stare, jaws dropped.

"…She really did it…" Winry whispered in wide-eyed awe.

"There are incredible people in the world, aren't there…?" Ed said beside her, mirroring her own stunned expression.

Meanwhile, their two escorts were doing a whole lotta gapin'.

"Wow! It all makes sense now!" Winry deduced, approaching the documents and picking them up one by one. "If it was this plenty, Mr. Marcoh would've never been able to run off with them."

Ed pored ravenously over the pages, examining each and every paragraph with anticipated eagerness. "This is really Marcoh's, Sheska?"

"Yes!" she nodded. "Without a doubt! Tim Marcoh's culinary research documents! '**1000 flavors for today's menu**'!"

A very confused and discomforting silence.

"…Add a dash of water to one tablespoon of sugar…" Ross read the first section out loud to herself and balked. "This really is…a cooking recipe."

"Hey!" Brosh turned sharply to Sheska, perplexed. "Just how are these important documents?"

She stuttered, alarmed. "Impor—! Oh no! I only copied them as I read and remembered!"

"So this is all a big mistake?" Brosh face-palmed.

Strangely, the two alchemists were continuing their inspection of the documents, having paid no attention to the other three. Then Ed faced Sheska.

"This is what Marcoh wrote, word for word without a mistake, right?" he asserted.

"Yes! I'm quite sure!" she answered.

To their escorts' surprise, Ed grinned, that determined face unwavering since their arrival. "You're incredible. Thanks."

He lifted a stack with careful ease. "Winry, come on! Let's take these back to the library!"

"Yeah. There has to be a dozen dictionaries there too." she replied, lifting a bundle of her own to carry back with them.

"Major, what's the meaning of this?" Ross inquired, confused still with the situation.

"I'll explain later. Here's for helping us." Ed reached for his notebook and a pen. "Lt. Ross! Here's my registration code, my signature, and my silver watch as proof of my identity." He tore the scribbled page out and deposited it in her hands along with his watch. "Go to the State Alchemist Division at the Fuhrer's office, withdraw the sum of money I wrote there from my annual research funds, and give it to Sheska."

"…? Yes, sir."

"Sheska, thanks a lot! Bye!" Ed waved on his way out.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Sheska!" Winry beamed her way out.

With the help of Sergeant Brosh, the pair moved the documents towards the car, leaving the lieutenant and Sheska behind.

"Hmm…from his research expenses…" Ross fixed her eyes on the piece of paper along with a puzzled Sheska.

Two ubiquitous screams from the two women carried all the way past Sheska's house itself.

"KYAAAAAAAAA! WHY IS THERE SO MUCH MONEY!"

"WHAT KIND OF KID CAN PULL OUT THAT MUCH CASH!"

**-sss-**

"Alchemists live for the public." Ed stated. "And just like those words, alchemists have a code to give the fruits of their abilities to the common folk without bias."

"State alchemists don't normally abide by this duty so they're sort of hated by the population." Winry added. "But we've got to prevent normal people from learning about our secrets as alchemists."

Brosh nodded in understanding. "Oh, I see. It would be problematic if alchemy were easily understandable and used for the wrong reasons."

"Exactly. So in order to prevent that from happening…" Ed grinned. "We input our research notes as codes."

"…You mean like _this_?" their escort gaped.

"Yeah!" Winry said. "To an ordinary person, it looks like any ordinary cooking recipe. But they're actually highly advanced notes on alchemy with so many hidden meanings and metaphors that only the one who wrote them could translate!"

As of that moment, she and Ed were in a secluded room in the library along with Brosh and all of Tim Marcoh's files that Sheska managed to make a copy of for them.

"So, how are you going to decode it?" Brosh inquired.

Ed helped in arranging the pages on the table. "By using a little knowledge and a lot of patience."

"Ugh, that sounds pretty daunting." the former groaned.

"Well, the parts modeled after cooking research documents are still easy to decode." Winry helped out. "After all, there's a saying that alchemy was born in the kitchen. Even Ed's notes are written like travelogues. So even if I read them, I wouldn't understand."

Pausing in his work, Ed pondered on that a little, then inserted, "You know…the Colonel's research notes are coded in the names of women…"

A pause, then a collected, "Yeahhh…"

Winry turned to her partner with a beaming smile. "But, if we get cracking with all we've got, I'm sure we can translate Mr. Marcoh's documents!"

Ed flashed a grin her way and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Alright! Let's decode this and take a look at the truth!"

And for many days and nights, the pair persevered against the procrastinating task put forth for them.

…Until they cracked.

A week's result: Brain dead.

"Ed, it's too hard!" Winry complained, forehead to table in the same way as him, the fruits of their efforts scattered all over the surface.

"Winry, shut up! Only _losers _would say that!" Ed retorted, cranky, infuriated and deprived of sleep.

She lifted her head from the table with a cross expression. "There's no way we can decode these documents after this much work, Ed! Let's just ask Mr. Marcoh!"

"And admit that we can't do something this simple? That's traitor talk! Winry, are you my partner or not?"

"Of course I am!" she answered heatedly. "But we're wasting time sitting here and decoding files that we can't!"

"ALCHEMISTS WHO CAN'T SOLVE PROBLEMS ON THEIR OWN HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE CALLED ALCHEMISTS!" Ed barked loudly. "THAT'S WHY I'M GOING TO INVADE THE MARKETING INDUSTRIES AND PROTEST AGAINST THE PRODUCTION OF MILK WITHIN TEN YEARS OR SO HELP ME GOD!"

There was silence from Winry. Then somewhat unexpected, quiet giggles erupted from her side, stunning Ed.

"…That was too random." she managed between laughs. "And I'm supposed to be mad right now. And I'm not mad anymore."

She just couldn't stop loving Ed for the way he was. _**As a friend. **_(Note: Those are HER thoughts. Not mine.)

Said friend turned away with embarrassment written all over his face. He did say way too much there. And that plan of his was supposed to be a secret, dammit!

A sigh from his partner, then she leaned back in her chair with some leftover amusement. "…I just don't get it, you know." she said, her tone quiet.

"…Yeah. Me too." Ed admitted, staring at all the crumpled balls of paper on his left. "I thought we'd get to make out at least this much after a week…" his thumb and index finger parallel to each other by a distance of one inch, "…but it's a lot harder than we thought."

Winry looked at him for a while before saying timidly, "Sorry I yelled at you."

In turn, Ed looked sheepish as he muttered, "Same here. We're just tired, that's all. Anyway, I really don't want to go running to Marcoh for help. We asked for these documents, so it's up to us to crack the code."

Feeling better, she smiled his way. "…You're right. We did ask him. We've troubled him enough as it is."

Ed paused, and grinned. "So can you hold out for a little while longer with me working on these?"

"You bet!" she beamed with renewed vitality.

Suddenly, a knock from outside. "Excuse me, you two?"

They turned their heads to see Sheska with Brosh behind her.

"Ms. Sheska?" Winry greeted.

She nodded. "I heard you were here." she came to bow courteously at their table. "Mr. Edward, thanks to you, I was able to put my mother into a wonderful hospital! I don't know how to thank you!"

"Naw, I told you it was okay." he dismissed politely.

"Oh. I wonder if I gave you too much detail…" Sheska wondered guiltily, looking at the pair's states.

"Don't worry about it, we're fine. When you think about how much this stuff is worth, what we gave you was pretty cheap." Ed told her so.

"Oh, they were that important? Then…have you finished decoding it?"

The air of exhaustion hung heavily over the room from which Ed and Winry sat.

"Did you find a job, Ms. Sheska?" Winry asked her.

Exhaustion became a mattress for depression as Sheska's dilemma added to their gloom.

"Oh well. It's time for me to leave. Thank you very much."

"Hey, I told you not to worry about the money." Ed tried to assure her.

Sheska shook her head and smiled modestly. "Oh no. It's not just the money. I'm happy that my useless talent as a bookworm could help you out. Thank you."

"…No. You're not useless." Winry protested quietly from where she was sitting. "I think that trying your best to do something is by itself a talent." her warm smile lit up the room a bit. "You should be proud to have an incredible memory."

Sheska and Ed stared at her for a while before the former replied with a happy, "Thank you!"

Ed himself couldn't help but be proud just a little bit about what his partner had just said.

"YO!" A loud voice interrupted their conversation as Lt. Colonel Hughes marched in. "I heard from the Major! Jeez, I told you guys to holler if you popped by Central!"

"Heh, sorry. We were sorta busy." Ed replied.

"Yeah, I was busy too and couldn't get away from work!" Hughes laughed. Then, he went over to Ed's side of the table and throwing an arm over his shoulders, whispered, "So what happened with you and Winry in Resembool? Did you two make out?"

Ed sputtered, red in the face. "What? NO! WHY WOULD I—"

"How about you, sweetheart?" Hughes magically teleported over to a confused Winry in the same position as was with Ed. "Did you cuties have a nice time together?"

"EH?" Incidentally, Winry's memory flitted to their afternoon visit to Trisha's grave and their old home.

Watching their bewildered expressions (Sheska imitating them), Hughes got up to laugh loudly. "Ha-ha, you two! So cute, too cute for words! And you guys are like, what, fifteen? Man, you should get going on it while you're still that young!"

Winry's brain ceased to function as Ed choked out quite excessively in volume, "GET GOING ON WHAT?"

Hughes coughed and rubbed his head. "Anyway, the crime rate's gone up lately. The military tribunal I'm in has been bustling. And the chimera case of Tucker's still hasn't been cleared up…" he stopped himself and realized his fault. "Whoa…sorry, Ed."

"…It's fine." he muttered dourly, Winry watching him with guilt.

"Oh!" she suddenly noticed. "Mr. Hughes, did you come to visit us even when you're so busy?"

"Nah, I needed a break!" he answered, relief evident in his voice. "Don't worry about it. I'll go back to work soon. It's just that, the first branch got burned down at a time when it's usually busy."

Ed looked up from his notes. "The first branch?"

"Yeah, the tribunal's close by, so I'd store records of old cases and registries of names in that book collection. This is preventing me from getting any work done."

The blonde pair stared long and hard at Hughes, and thought simultaneously as they directed their attention onto a certain bookworm.

"…EHH?" Sheska cried out in surprise. "I did read and recall military detective records too, but…"

"Hughes, this person's looking for work! She might help you out!" Ed pointed.

"Huh? This woman has a gift for that? THAT'LL HELP!" Hughes grabbed her by the collar. "Let's start right away! We pay very well!"

"Kyaa! Okay! Oh! Ex-excuse me you two!" Sheska cried out. "Thank you! I'll be more confident in myself and try my best! Thank you so very much!"

She continued to cry out her thanks while being dragged by a mad Hughes on the way out. Ed and Winry waved to her as Ed muttered, "What is he, a kidnapper?" then he turned his attention to Winry with a smirk. "That was some speech you just made, Winry. Not bad at all."

"Oh, don't tell me you weren't impressed yourself." she teased. "Besides, I picked it up by looking at a certain somebody. He who likes to do whatever he can to get what he wants. Right?"

"Heheh." he shifted in his seat. "Well, that certain somebody is going to continue working."

"Right. And his partner's going to help him out no matter what." Winry chimed in.

And so they set themselves back to work.

**-sss-**

The clock tower struck five in the evening, three days after. Sgt. Brosh and Second Lt. Ross heard the bells.

"It's been ten whole days." Ross stated. "It seems like there haven't been any results yet."

Brosh agreed quietly. "Anyway, it's closing time."

He approached the double doors and was met with a furious yell.

"…NO FUCKING WAY!"

The two escorts rushed in at the noise. And was met with a scene of the two alchemists. Ed's chair had been knocked over when he had risen, and Winry had her face covered by her hands. Several pages and a couple of dictionaries littered the floor around them. They appeared to have been thrown down on purpose.

"Wha…what happened?" Brosh asked apprehensively. "Were you two fighting? Please calm down…"

"No, it's not that." Winry whispered.

"Then are you angry that you haven't broken the code…?" Ross inquired cautiously.

"…We broke it. We translated the notes." was the quiet reply.

"Oh really? Isn't that good—"

"THERE'S NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THIS!" came Ed's furious answer as he slammed both his palms on the table, nearly breaking it in half.

Appalled by this violent display, the other two wisely let Ed finish.

"…'The devil's research' is what he called it…Marcoh…you are absolutely despicable!" he bit out in utter revulsion.

"…Just what did you find out…?" Brosh had to ask.

No response from Ed at first, then, "The raw materials needed for the Philosopher's Stone…_**are living humans.**_"

Once long ago, a man dreamed to become a hero when he was still a boy. In order to protect those close to him and even those that were strangers to him. One day, he found his chance and sought to live out his dream. But as he went on, he realized something was wrong. Having to save countless lives, it seemed he was giving away more to accomplish that. He hadn't realized just how much had been given up to fulfill his dream, and suffered a great loss. Bitter, broken and angry, he had nothing but a wish to turn back the clock and undo his terrible deeds. As well as destroy the very ideal that killed many people, including his own father.

So as to the dream of two alchemists seeking recovery of what they lost, they fought and worked to find their way towards their goal. Their dream, unlike the man's, was of forcible hardship to be expected. But like the man's dream…

Even if it was difficult yet progressive, in the case of the circumstances…

Their dream…was just as impossible and as distant as the man who wanted to save everyone.

**End of Chapter 10**

**A/N:** Review, please.


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